A jail warden has been sacked after he let a Moro warlord standing trial for the Philippines' worst political massacre to hold a bizarre jailhouse news conference, the government said Thursday. The interior department said the warden was relieved of his duties amid an investigation after the defendant, Andal Ampatuan Jr, spoke to the media outside his jail cell Tuesday. Spokesmen for the department said the warden, Senior Inspector Lloyd Gonzaga, may have violated procedure over the incident, which embarrassed the government. Ampatuan Jr has been detained for the massacre of 57 people in the southern province of Maguindanao in November that prosecutors say was aimed at preventing a rival from running against him in the May 10 elections. At the news conference, Ampatuan Jr insisted on his innocence and then endorsed opposition candidate Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino in the May 10 presidential race. Critics, including families of the victims, charged that the news conference was in fact orchestrated to embarrass Aquino – an arch-foe of incumbent President Gloria Arroyo. Surveys show Aquino is likely to win the May 10 polls. Until the massacre, members of the powerful Ampatuan clan were close political allies of Arroyo, used by her to contain Moro fighters waging a decades-long insurgency in the south. Some Philippine media have theorised in recent days that Arroyo is still secretly protecting the Ampatuans. Such theories were fuelled by a shock government decision over the weekend to drop murder charges against two key Ampatuan family members. Earlier, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno vowed y to punish jail officials who allowed Ampatuan Jrto hold a bizarre jailhouse press conference. “Certainly, the event itself was a lapse in judgment,” Puno said said during a radio interview, adding that every major event in any prison facility, particularly holding a press conference, should have his approval. Puno said that just like other Filipinos who viewed the press conference on television, he was stunned to see a notorious crime suspect airing his views on politics and on the multiple murder cases he faces in front of television cameras. “I was shocked. It looked like Ampatuan was on a vacation. He did not look like a prisoner. His appeared to be in control of the situation. This from a man accused of committing a crime against society,” he said. He noted that the event appeared to be well planned. Aquino had promptly disowned Ampatuan's endorsement, saying he has never sought out the support of the warlord accused of masterminding the Philippines' worst political massacre. “That's a joke. We never talked and we never sought their endorsement,” Aquino told reporters in Butuan City. Asked if he welcomed the Ampatuans' endorsement, he said, “No, thank you.” He noted that the Ampatuans were known supporters of Arroyo and a member of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party before he and his family were expelled from the party after the massacre. Aquino also noted that Ampatuan had admitted that he was supporting Villar, and even wore a baller ID of the NP bet.
