Moro witness in SAF debacle in gov’t custody

Justice Sec. Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Moro rebel who turned state witness in the Mamasapano carnage is now in government custody and has signed a statement detailing what he knew about the bloody incident that left 68 people dead, including 44 Special Action Force commandos, 18 Moro Islamic Liberation Front members and six civilians.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said the witness whom the Department of Justice (DOJ) probers called “Diego” was able to strengthen his narrative on what he witnessed during the Mamasapano carnage on Jan. 25 during their ocular inspection on Wednesday.

“He had signed his statement and his accounts of what he claims he saw on Jan. 25 in the encounter site checks out with the results of our ocular inspection,” De Lima told the Inquirer.

De Lima was accompanied to the clash site Wednesday morning by National Bureau of Investigation director Virgilio Mendez; Juan Pedro Navera, head of the DOJ investigating panel; NBI deputy director for regional services Edward Villarta; and members of the CCCH.

A source who was present when De Lima talked to “Diego” on the phone said the witness was able to “describe and point his exact location during the encounter.”

“Diego narrated a first person account and has vantage view of what was going on, and could identify the Moro rebels who participated in the gun battle,” according to an investigator of the case.

“Diego has an un-obstructive view of the firefight,” the source added.

While De Lima’s group were at the clash site in Sitio (settlement) Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindao, artillery fire could be heard from the area due to the all-out offensive launched by the military against lawless Moro rebels.

An armored carrier personnel, several trucks of Philippine Marines and Army, several vehicles of policemen, the Justice secretary’s close-in security and agents from the NBI provided security to the group.

At around noon all members of the group including the NBI forensic team led by Jasmine Barrientos and Ligaya Banawa who were conducting bullet trajectory measurements were ordered to leave the area after seeing a white phosphorous fired not far from the clash site.

The investigators declined to give any personal detail about the rebel turned state witness for security reasons, but said the witness had already given the DOJ investigators a list of names he knew were at the scene when the 55th SAF division were under heavy fire.

Another source in the area said the MILF leaders had been doing a “head count” of their men to try to establish the identity of the state witness since the Inquirer broke the story last week.