WHERE ARE THEY?

Two years after killings, 101 suspects still roam free

Since the first anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre last year, the authorities have arrested only 12 more suspects—or an average of one suspect every month for the last year.

Data obtained by GMA News Online from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police showed that so far only 95, or still less than half of the 196 massacre suspects, are in police custody.

A day before the first anniversary of the massacre in November 2010, the PNP announced the arrest of an 83rd suspect, Misuari Ampatuan, an alleged member of the private army of the Ampatuan clan, some members of which are accused of masterminding the carnage.

If the PNP now says that their latest tally stands at 95 arrested suspects, that would mean that for the next 12 months since November 23, 2010, policemen only collared 12 others, the last one—the 95th—being Fahad Utto, who was arrested in Purok Minanga, Barangay Buayan in General Santos City on August 18 after being identified by a supposed witness.

The arrested man's wife, however, asked a local court in General Santos City to issue a writ of habeas corpus for her husband, saying he was a victim of mistaken identity. She said her husband's name is Richard “Rey" Gofel and not Fahad Utto.

Gofel, however, remains an accused as Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 denied Gofel’s motion seeking a “judicial determination of identity."

Last May 20, authorities said they arrested the 90th suspect in the massacre, Kamper Silongan alias Jun at the Queen Tuna Park along P. Acharon Boulevard in General Santos City.

Police, however, released the man a week later after confirming that he was not Silongan but vegetable vendor Dadtungan Ampatuan Mamasapano.

Constraints

CIDG's Chief Superintendent Benito Estipona, head of Task Force Maguindanao probing the massacre, said despite the considerably small turnover of arrested assailants, they are still considering it an accomplishment, given that the task force has recently faced new hurdles in their search for the suspects at large.

"We found out recently that some of the suspects have assumed new identities," Estipona told GMA News Online in an interview.

As a result, Estipona said they have doubled their efforts to carry out intelligence work to verify the real identities of arrested suspects.

"Mabusising intelligence work ang kailangan para ma-double check. Kina-counter namin ito through intelligence," he said.

Estipona said to further intensify the search for the missing suspects, the PNP has printed over a thousand copies of an updated "Wanted" poster, the bulk of these to be posted this month in Maguindanao and surrounding provinces, as well as in major ports and bus terminals.

He expressed hopes that the massive poster campaign will help increase awareness of the missing suspects. "Minsan kasi iyong mga tao doon [sa Mindanao], hindi nila alam kapitbahay na pala nila ‘yung hinahanap namin," he said.

Estipona said he has not set a deadline for all the remaining wanted suspects to be arrested but added they are giving their "best effort."

"We really have very dedicated tracker teams trying to expedite the search given the problems we encounter," he said.

He added: "Sa totoo lang kasi, nagle-level up pa kami kaya nagkakaroon tayo ng reconstitution ng tracker teams."

Clan members, killed suspect

A total of 196 suspects are facing 57 counts of murder before the QC RTC Branch 221 under Judge Solis-Reyes. Of the 95 arrested suspects, eight are considered prominent members of the Ampatuan clan, including clan patriarch Andal Sr and his sons Andal Jr, Rizaldy, and Sajid.

The patriarch was a former Maguindanao governor while his sons are a former mayor of Datu Unsay (Andal Jr), a governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Rizaldy), and a Maguindanao governor-in-charge (Sajid).

The other prominent clan members in jail are Andal Sr's son-in-law and former Maguindanao vice governor-in-charge Datu Akmad "Tato" Ampatuan Sr, Shariff Aguak Mayor Datu Anwar Ampatuan Sr., Jimmy Ampatuan, and Norodin Ampatuan.

Andal Jr turned himself in to police authorities three days after the killings, on November 26.

Of the 95 so far arrested, 30 are alleged members of the clan's private army, while 53 belong to the local police force.

Rounding out the list of detained suspects are four more individuals not belonging to the private army or to the local police but are classified as "other allies." One of them, Parido Zangkala Gogo, was killed in a firefight as authorities tried to arrest him, according to Estipona.

At large

Around 20 of the 101 suspects still being hunted have a P300,000 bounty each on their heads, while a P200,000 reward each is being offered for the arrest of the remaining suspects at large.

At least 10 other prominent Ampatuan clan members remain at large. Three of them were reportedly seen roaming free in the province and even playing basketball with local soldiers in Maguindanao.

They were identified as Andal Sr.'s grandsons Bahnarin, Anwar Jr or "Ipi," and Ulo, who was said to have resumed mobilizing the remaining members of the clan's private army.

Apart from these at-large Ampatuan clan members, authorities are also looking for 70 other private army members, 10 local policemen, and seven "other allies."

Four members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel were likewise implicated in the massacre, namely Sergeants Abdullah Abdul, Alnor Ampatuan, Abdullah Falcon, and Banzar Maulan. None of them have been arrested yet. – MARK MERUEÑAS, KG/HS, GMA News