The principal suspect in the massacre of 57 people, including 30 journalists, was mobbed Friday by mediamen and onlookers as he was taken to the Department of Justice in Manila at the start of preliminary investigation into the carnage in Maguindanao province last Nov. 23. Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Datu Unsay town, Maguindanao, grimaced in pain as his escorts failed to shield him totally from the angry crowd that attacked him at the entrance of the justice department building. Ampatuan was wearing a bullet-proof vest and escorted by some 10 heavily-armed National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents. A journalist threw at him a file of pictures showing victims of the massacre while yelling, “These are the people you killed.” Some journalists picked up the fallen pictures and pressed them against Ampatuan's face. The protesters were eventually pushed aside by his escorts as he and his lawyer, Sigfrid Fortun, were ushered into the building. Moments later, Ampatuan was again hit and kicked by mediamen as he and his lawyer exited the building. During the preliminary investigation, Fortun declined to contest the multiple murder charges against his client, saying their decision “would end the case once and for all.” The move surprised the prosecution panel who had anticipated that Ampatuan's camp would dispute the evidence the government had collected against him and the other co-accused. Evidence collected by the prosecution include witnesses' testimonies, high-powered arms, ammunition and vehicles, including a backhoe that reportedly failed to bury the bodies after it ran out of fuel. Fortun said he saw no point in disputing murder accusations against his client because he claimed that Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera has long shown bias against Ampatuan who is accused of ordering the murder of 57 people last Nov. 23, most of whom formed part of a political rival's convoy. The convoy was on its way to file candidacy papers of Ismael “Toto” Mangudadatu, a member of a rival political clan. The group was forced to take a detour three kilometers off a national highway. After being told to disembark at gunpoint, the occupants of the convoy's six vehicles were shot to death in broad daylight by Ampatuan himself and his men, witnesses said. Asked to comment on the move of the defense panel to waive to file counter affidavits, Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno said: “The evidence filed against them will remain uncontroverted.” Zuno noted that there are other respondents in the case which he said “will be resolved jointly.” The next hearing was set for Dec. 28.
