Related stories: Where’s my Mommy. Not a dry eye in UP forum
Trillanes blames Arroyo for massacre
by Romel Regalado Bagares
COTABATO CITY.–Peruvian forensic anthropologist Dr. Jose Pablo Baraybar didn’t like what he saw when he visited for the first time Sunday the massacre site in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town.
Baraybar said the “topography of the crime” in Ampatuan town is eerily similar to that he had found as a United Nations expert serving in the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Barren hills, marked in places by an occasional clump of nipa huts, flanked a narrow dirt road that led to the scene of the carnage that claimed the lives of at least 57 people, including at least 29 journalists.
As he surveyed the area, Baraybar shook his head, remarking, “This is exactly the kind of topography that unfortunately provides an incentive for acts of impunity—its sheer remoteness keeps away public attention.”
In 1994, the genocide in Rwanda broke out and saw the systematic killing of some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in less than 100 days by the Hutus. The East-Central African country, known as the “land of a thousand hills,” has an economy supported for the most part by subsistence agriculture.
The Peruvian expert and his British counterpart—both of whom also worked on the same cases for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia—are doing a preliminary assessment of what still needs to be done at the crime scene, following the evidence-gathering already accomplished by police and National Bureau of Investigation investigators.
Baraybar heads a team of forensic investigators and lawyers deputized by the CHR to conduct an independent parallel investigation on the Ampatuan massacre. He also directed the Office on Missing Persons and Forensics of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.
The group flew from Manila to Cotabato City and then travelled in a convoy of cars to the site. After an hour they reached the capital town of Shariff Aguak. When they passed through the palatial houses of the Ampatuans which were situated near the provincial capitol, they saw Ampatuan supporters with banners and screaming at the convoy “We love the Ampatuans!,” “Stop Blaming the Ampatuans,” among others.
From the capital town, it took them only seven minutes to reach the town of Ampatuan where the massacre happened. From the Ampatuan town center, the group reached the village of Salman in just three minutes. In the village is a detachment camp reportedly manned by paramilitary and police auxiliary militiamen when the killings happened. It was at the said detachment where the Mangundadatu convoy was stopped allegedly by policemen and militiamen on November 23, 2009.
From the detachment, the group of Dr. Baraybay turned right on a dirt road and after travelling for five kilometres through undulating hills planted to corn, banana, and papaya, they reached the site of the massacre.
There are at least three dug up holes in the site where bodies and crampled cars were uncovered. Papers, shoes, car interior parts, eyeglass case, and bullet shells are scattered around the massacre site. Despite the application of lime strewn all over the site, members of the team still smelled decaying corpse.
Baraybar and Smith declared the need to conduct further forensic examination in the area, especially considering reports that there are still unaccounted persons who may have been on the site when the Mangundadatu convoy was stopped by armed men.
When the group went back to Cotabato City, they met with two police inspectors who briefed them about how the retrieval of bodies and evidence was conducted a day after the killings happened. The police inspectors recounted the position of the corpses and the bloodied condition of the cars when they arrived in the scene of the killings.
Baraybar first came to the country to lecture in an international conference on the investigation and prosecution of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture held in Davao last year under Centerlaw’s auspices.
(Romel Regalado Bagares is executive director of the Center for International Law, a member of the Southeast Asia Media Defense Network.)
Press statement from the office of Sen.Antonio Trillanes IV
‘Blood on GMA’s hands’ – Trillanes
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV wants the alleged distribution and endorsement by the government of more than 4,000 high-powered weapons to political allies investigated.
In a resolution filed in the wake of the ‘Maguindanao massacre’ that claimed the lives of close to 60 people including women and journalists, Trillanes said the issuance of firearms to local political warlords and their private armies in the area was sanctioned by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with EO 546 in 2006.
“For Malacañang to have legitimized these groups in politically volatile areas, the blood of the victims is on their hands,” he added.
In just three municipalities in Maguindanao, around 400 purported civilian members of security personnel linked to the family of the suspect, Andal Ampatuan Jr. had been reportedly disarmed by the military and police.
“Many weapons are unchecked in other tense areas and if these remain among abusive private armies, there may be more casualties of electoral violence leading up to the 2010 polls,” said Trillanes.
During its National Summit on Firearms this year, the Philippine National Police cited a total of 274 election-related violent incidents involving the use of firearms in 2004 and 2007, with the highest number reported in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, followed by Region 9 and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The Philippines is also ranked 10th in gun homicide rates worldwide, according to a 2005 World Health Organization study presented by the PNP.
The involvement of the international experts means something.
Naku, “RWANDA Republic” na pala ang Maguindanao…di natin alam. Sino ang nag-baby sitting dyan at nagpalaki ng ulo ???
Baka ang mga galamay-ng-sakit na iyan ay kumalat, na…who knows, pati na sa Pampanga..May-pag-asa pa ba ???..Good, nandyan si Ginang Lilia de Lima ng HR. Sana naman madag-dagan ang pwersa ng mga DE LIMA, sa ikaka-lutas ng pinag-handaang
pama-maslang na ito sa Maguindanao…yuong mga supporters, tyak mga bayaran sila, at nasa treat ng dulo ng mga baril, mahirap pumalag…PILIPINAS SAAN KA PATUTUNGO ????..parang Eroplano na, na-hostage ng mga ” terorismong-matatakaw-ganid-sa pwesto” na ang piloto ay isang “babae”..etc..
Ampatuan massacre is Gloria Arroyo’s legacy. At meron pang mukha na tumakbo na kinatawan ang punyeta!
Isama sa imbestigasyon si Gloria!
Gayagaya lang yan kay Makoy … massacre bago magdeclara ng Martial law. Palagay ko ay nangangatog ang tuhod ni Gloria dahil nandiyan ang mga HRC investigators.
Even if the Ampatuan massacre was committed by the insane Ampatauan family, it is the Arroyo government that should be blamed for this horrible incident. If only they have not became subservient to this insane family, the oppresive acts of ampatuans might have been curtailed long before and the Ampatuan massacre might not have happened.
Pero paano? Baka ipagsisigawn nga mga Ampatuans na si Pandak at Pekeng President ang nagpasimuno ng malaking dayaan sa nakaraang dalawang national election.
Halabja sa Iraq at Racak massacres naman sa Kosovo. Ito ang isa sa mga naging dahilan para mapatalsik sina Saddam Hussein at Slobodan Milosevic.
Patalsikin si Gloria Macagarapal Arrovo!!!
The entry of the UN experts in the case is an assurance that there will be no whitewashing and covering up.
Just hope that the government will not make it hard and difficult for them to do their job.
Give them a free hand.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/732549–humane-society-closed-indefinitely?bn=1
In the other thread, I posted why the Prime Suspect in the Maguindanao Massacre was not even Handcuffed during the arrest and transport, while the CEO and staff of the Toronto Humane Society were and immediately Charged for the Crime of Cruelty to Animals under their care…the investigations is still continuing and the remaining staff that were not charged for any crime are under the protection of the Police as they are receiving threats from the Public of bodily harm..some protesters even carry baseball bats to really carry their threats…a world of difference indeed and the Gap was widened by the almost Ten Years of GMA and her policy of Unholy Alliances with the goons and guns for delivering her the votes and the Presidency. Leaderships speak for one’s country, and GMA speaks loud to the world of how the country is looked at now, especially with this Massacre that maybe History will unravel as Crime against Humanity. The Legacy of GMA as the President delivered by the Suspects of the Massacre…
mas dapat ma-shock ang mga tao kung gaano kamiserable at kahirap ang mga tao sa lugar ng mga Ampatuan, habang ang mga lider nila ay patuloy na nagpapakasasa sa perang pumapasok sa rehiyon, galing sa IRA at international aid, na ginagamit nilang pambili ng mga Hummer at Range Rover sa halip na magpatayo ng imprastruktura at bumili ng pagkain!!
hiii guys
five years na akong nagbabasa dito sa ellen ngayon lang ako ng type… ngayon lang akooo magmumura. Putang Ina mo Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. nadaig mo pa ang mga limatik sa kagahaman mo Kapal ng mukha mooo di mo na maibabalik pa ang buhay ng mga taong namatay dahil sa iyong ka demonyohan pag-iisip.ngayon nag file ka pa para sa tongresswoman sa pampanga Punyeta ka di sana ganito ang buhay ng nakakarami na di malaman kung paano mabuhay lalo na kung malayo ka sa pamilya mo bilyon na ang ninakaw mo di kapa nasiyahan punyeta kayong Mag-Anak salot kayo sa Pilipinas. Dapat sa pamilya ninyo gilingin kayo.para mawala kayo sa isipan
I don’t know, “Crime Against Humanity” is sobra namang pa-drama. The Maguindanao massacre looks more like thuggery like Mexican cartel against Mexican cartel, malas lang ay marami-raming media tag-alongs na nabiktima at na-murder.
Noong kasagsagan ng imbestigasyon sa Alamang Boys tungkol sa droga, ini-appoint ni gloria ang sarili bilang drug czar, gayundin ay itinalaga ang sarili bilang climate change czar sa ewang dahilan. Bukod pa dito ang mula noon hanggang ngayong pagbansag sa sarili niya bilang economic czar.
Subalit, hindi n’yo ba napupuna? Putok na putok itong Maguindanao massacre kung saan ang gumawa at utak ay mga Ampatuan, ang kanyang masugid na kaalyado sa pandaraya, pagnanakaw ng boto, pananakot sa mga botante at kakutsaba sa isang libo at isang katiwalian. Bakit hindi ‘ata niya itinatalaga ang sarili niya bilang massacre czar?
Dahil kaya sawa na rin siya sa kanyang pagiging czar of all criminals?
Bobong, please take note that I edited your comments and changed those that are capitalized into small letters.
Hindi maganda tingnan ang naka-naka-capitalized.Naintindihan naman ng nagbabasa ang iyong message kahit hindi naka-capitalized.
Thank you.
today, we offered mass and prayers for men and women who are massacred in maguindanao and for peace in our country in our church here the ” santiago compostela catholic church” lake forest ca.. nakaka awa ang bayan natin,sana lahat ng pilipino ay gumising na sa katotohanan.. our country is now like a sink ship.. because we all filipinos let this things happen..!! GOD save the philippines..!!!
Papalapit na ang Pasko. Sasamantalahin na naman ang panahong ito ng mga sinungaling na pulitiko.
Unti unti, ang lagablab ng ngalit dahil sa Maguindanao massacre ay aandap at ang silakbo ng damdamin ay kasabay na mauupos.
Katulad ng ibang kaso, mababaon din ito sa LIMOT!
I see that bravery down south seems a virtue sending womenfolks,instead into the valley of death. Carnage is not rare among our politicians. It happened anywhere, they do it even at the doorstep of Malacanan.
Gordon, BF team up for 2010 polls
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/01/09/gordon-bf-team-2010-polls
Wow, what a team up!
I believe that both were tested managers in their respective cities during their years as mayors but when they became part of gloria’s circle, they began swallowing their own balls without chewing making both of them appear gloria’s asshole lickers.
This is an interesting development in the Presidential race. I’d rather go for this tandem. Although they seem close to the Evil Bitch, they have shown some semblance of being independent. Only time will tell if they can stay the course.
Nakakasuka talaga ang arte ni Glueria.
“I see that bravery down south seems a virtue sending womenfolks,instead into the valley of death.”
Pansin ko nga. Perhaps, the other clan thought that the Ampatuans had a little respect for women left in their veins. Turned out, the perpetrators are not humans.
Welcome back, Val. Same with Nelbar.
Why send women in harms way? Alam naman nila ang possibleng masamang mangyayari…in addition, they were warned also?
I wouldn’t send my wife and my sister’s kung ako yun, but cguro yung in-laws na lang :{ (joke lang)
Stop coddling clans!
Ang Ampatuan clan ay mga demonyong nagkatawang tao.
Katulad din ni goyang dorobo.
The involvement of the international experts means something?
Exactly Darbs…imagine 29 journalists ang kinatay ng mga berdugo at breaking the record ito worldwide? Onli in the Pinas sa history ng mamamahayan ang pinakamaraming tinodas.
Ito ba ang Demokrasya na pinangarap ng EDSA 1 wannabees? Maghari ang mga berdugo halos buong bansa…from Ilocos to Sulu e ang daming lingkod-bulsa warlord.
Ang hirap sa mga Kapulisan e yong teka-teka ng lost firearms ang siyang pinagdidiskitahan pero yong hawak ng mga private armies (CVO, Cafgus and Lost Command)na highpowered firearms e ginagawang negosyo ng militar at gunrunners?
Anong demokrasya itong pinagyayabang ng Yellow Fever…sa katotohanan e demodisgrasya ang umiiral sa ating bansa since 1986…kung matinik sa aritmitik ang Pinoy e ilang libo na ba ang biktima ng extrajudicial killings plus Mendiola/Hacienda Luisita/Nueva Ecija/Magindanao massacre?
Yan ba ang kalayaan pinangarap ng EDSA 1 wannabees…ang kumatay ng kaawaawang mga inosenteng Pinoy at pagminalas pa e bigla kang mawawala sa mundong ibabaw tulad ni Burgos at iba pa.
The entry of UN experts especially in the caliber of Dr. Baraybar raises the Maguindanao massacre to international attention.
It puts pressure on the Arroyo government and on the local officials in Maguindanao.
Their (UN experts) participation is most welcome.
The foreigners UN experts need a security detail so that they do not become MILF renegade kidnap-for-ransom victims.
UN expert on Maguindanao massacre
Sana nga may magawa ang mga experts na to… nung Glorietta bombing kasi, madami ding namatay.. naghire din ng mga experts… walang nangyari…
sorry, bold lahat… mali html tag ko…
MPRivera – December 1, 2009 2:59 pm
Katulad ng ibang kaso, mababaon din ito sa LIMOT!
Kasalanan ng media kapag nabaon ito sa limot!
perl – December 2, 2009 1:58 am
Sad part about it, our government opted to accept that the explosion is due to methane from waste and diesel gas (If I understood it correctly) in lieu of Ayala paid experts conclusion that it’s a bomb RDX findings??).
Anyone who has knowledge about gas characteristics will conclude that it requires considerable amount of methane gas from waste to have an explosion like that. Diesel is questionable because it’s not considered a volatile liquid and requires high temperature (flashpoint) for it to give off vapor or gas, as compared to say gasoline. You need considerable heating for diesel to give off vapor but not at that level in my view.
The explosion also left behind a crater..you guys decide!
Me, i don’t buy the government report. I think it’s flawed.
Why can’t our government just do the right thing? Many had to die or get hurt for nothing! I wish whoever wins come 2010 will be a lot better that what we have now.
Bless us all!
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
London, United Kingdom
29 November 2009
The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) strongly condemns the extrajudicial killings of our 2 Filipina colleagues and an unprecedented number of journalists and civilians in the Maguindanao massacre last 23 November 2009 by local warlords and paramilitary groups.
(Where’s my Mommy? Not a dry eye in UP forum)
Attorneys Consuelo Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo, who were active members of our Philippine affiliate, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), were murdered while exercising their democratic rights as well as the duties of our legal profession
We are appalled by this latest horrible attack on our colleagues and condemn the continuing climate of impunity that has besieged the Filipino people by state agents or clans closely associated with the government of President Gloria Arroyo.
The IADL has been monitoring these attacks with grave concern, which now include 26 lawyers killed and 56 other lawyers who have been persecuted and intimidated by arrests, threats, surveillance and labeling since 2001.
These atrocious attacks are part of other human rights violations targeting farmers, workers, partylist leaders, activists, community organizers, churchpeople, human rights and peace workers, and other human rights defenders.
Since 2001, when Arroyo came to power, credible reports indicate that 1,118 persons have been extrajudicially killed, 204 disappeared, 1,026 tortured, and 1,932 illegally arrested. Scores of others fell victims to various forms of human rights violations by elements associated with the government. We find these continuing attacks on human rights simply totally unacceptable
These killings and systematic human rights violations are engendered by the counterinsurgency program of the Philippine government, as confirmed by findings of UN special rapporteurs and international fact-finding missions. This program led or encouraged the creation of pro-government paramilitary groups that have been terrorizing local communities allegedly sympathetic to the progressive movement. The killings in Maguindanao are not only the result of a local political conflict but also the direct consequence of the policy conducted by the present administration in the Philippines of an all-out war against the progressive and peoples movement. This policy has led to a virtual standstill of the peace negotiations between the Arroyo government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
The US and the EU have supported these unjust policies conducted by the Arroyo administration by criminalising and labelling legitimate organisations and leaders of the progressive movement such as Prof. Jose Maria Sison, NDFP chief political consultant, by including them in the so-called “terrorist” listings. Moreover, the US has a direct military presence and intervention through the Visiting Forces Agreement.
This support to the Arroyo administration provides direct political, moral and even military basis for the total war against the Philippine progressive movement. The IADL urges the United States and the European Union to immediately end the support given to the Arroyo government.
The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) RESOLVES, through its Bureau in present session:
1. to continue to firmly support the responses of our affiliate NUPL in regard to these killings and attacks;
2.to call on all its member associations all over the world to spread the truth on these issues;
3.to send to the Philippines a mission of international lawyers to represent IADL and register its protest and speak with Philippine authorities and bar associations;
4.to continuously monitor the situation, contribute to the efforts to address impunity, and make all those responsible for these atrocities and human rights violations accountable before various legal forums.
29 November 2009, London, United Kingdom
For the IADL:
Jeanne Mirer (USA), President
Osamu Niikura (Japan), Secretary General
Joan Roig Plans (Catalonia), Treasurer
Roland Weyl (France), First Vice President
Mohammed Bentoumi (Algeria)
Evelyn Durmeyer (Austria)
Jan Fermon (Belgium)
Yosif Geron (Bulgaria)
Augustin Kemadjou (Cameroon)
Vijender Jain (India)
Sabah Al-Mukhtar (Iraq)
Micol Savia (Italy)
Fabio Marcelli (Italy)
Edre U. Olalia (Philippines)
Vanessa Ramos (Puerto Rico)
Max Boqwana (South Africa)
Richard Harvey (United Kingdom)
Marjorie Cohn (USA)
Lennox Hinds (USA)
Beth Lyons (USA)
Dao Tri Uc (Vietnam)
the first thing the AFP should do is dismantle the private armies of these warlords FOR REAL. Hindi yung puro World War 2-vintage garand lang ang nakukuha nila. pinagmumukhang tanga ang mga tao. kunin nila yung mga M14, M16 at Ak47 nung mga bodyguards dun. at lansagin na din yang CAFGU/CVO na yan. Wla naman magandang naidulot yan since Marcos times.
@balweg. I am not really sure if the forensic experts are here to dig into how the “Edsa 1 Wannabees” hijacked the hope of good governance when the strong man was gone long time ago.
I am not sure if the forensic experts are here to investigate how the Edsa1 wannabees”, once in power are trying to perfect Apong Macoy’s imperfection so they could stay in power forever and ever for the purpose of enriching themselves and while others live in misery.
And most of all, I am not sure if the forensic experts are here to test Filipino’s arithmetic skills if they could count how many were victims of extrajudicial killings in the past and how many were convicted.
As far as I know, these experts are here to gather evidence to this latest Ampatuan Massacre, so the prosecutors could use the experts’ findings to hopefully help convict the perpetrators in the Philippine court of law as mandated by your constitution.
Filipinos need the experts findings, after all, you live in a society where most people has to use the court to prove their innocence while the hapless few could just disappear in a thin air and/or stabbed and just die while in bed and/or shot while attending weddings/fiesta celebration and/or while riding/walking in the streets on the way home or from work.
The previous massacre as you mentioned – – Luisita/Mendiola/Nueva Ecija/ – – I have no idea if there was an investigation from the U.N. forensic experts at that time.
But as far as I could remember, during the previous massacre, mostly farmers were the victims.
I am not really sure how important is your farmers in that country compared to lawyers and journalists.
Just a thought… I could be wrong. If so then I might stick with Mam Tordesillas comment… (washing my hands while reciting the blockquote below..)
Putting pressure on goyang’s leadership is when her rabid tacticians find more ways for her extended survival.
I-assassinate na lang ‘yan. Pati na ‘yung asawang mataba.
Puwede nang ihuli ‘yung dalawang anak na lalaki.
Mga duwag naman ‘yun katulad ng kanilang angkol na hikaing adik sa salapi.
Ampatuan: 24 counts of murder
More coming, says Devanadera
Lawyer Philip Sigfrid Fortun said the respondents acted without jurisdiction and with grave abuse of discretion in ordering or causing the warrantless arrest by the AFP, PNP and NBI of the petitioners especially because no preliminary investigation of charges against them had been conducted nor has the case been filed before the proper courts.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/12022009/news1.html
Lintek!
Paanong hindi mabababoy ang ating batas eh ganito ang mga katulad ni Fortun na masiba sa mga high profile na kaso kahit alam niyang pusakal na mga kriminal ang kanyang kliyente?
Dapat sa ganitong abugado ay balatan at buhusan ng arnibal itali sa langgaman para matauhan.
Suwapang sa salapi itong si Fortun. Uhaw sa publisidad.
Kung hindi ako nagkakamali ay kapatid ni Atty. Siegfried Fortun si Raquel Fortun na isa sa Forensic experts na nag-e-examine sa mga evidences ng Maguindanao massacre. For delicadeza ay dapat na mag-inhibit siya sa paghawak ng kaso.
“The NBI said that the opening of the zippers and buttons of the women victims could be due to the bloating of the bodies.”
The above is the stupidest statement from the NBI Medico Legal. If bloating is the reason of unzipped pants of the women murder victims then it is expected that the male victims or most of them should have also unzipped zippers since they die in the same time as the lady victims.
Explain that Mr. NBI !!
“Isama sa imbestigasyon si Gloria!” – chi
chi,
wag nalang isama pa sa imbestigasyon si gloria ! dapat isama nalng sa susunod pang massacre pero hnde na sa maguindanao kundi sa “malacanang”.
“MPRivera – December 1, 2009 2:59 pm
Katulad ng ibang kaso, mababaon din ito sa LIMOT!”
OO nga. Nasaan na iyong bahay sa SanFo nina Datu at Mickey? Nasaan na si Jocjoc? Nasaan na ang Alabang boys, ang mga Euro Generals, ang NBN ZTE case, eh yung kaso pa ni Masipag sa Taga? Ang masama, after May 10, 2010, baka makalimutan na rin si Gluering at ang kanyang mga kasalanan.
pareng rivera,
gang ngaun tlgang hnde pa natigil yang kulo ng dugo mo kay bruhang gloria ah ! hahahha… lahat na nabanggit mong kaso nya ay wala ng pag-asa na mabuhay pa! dhil kasama na ang mga yon sa “maguindanao massacre” !
amihan,
arte lang ba ang nakakasuka kay gloria? ako, mukha palang nya sa picture nasuka na ako !!! kelan kaya matatakpan ng diaryo ang mukha nya?