The long arm of the Ampatuans

by VERA Files

Even in detention, Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao continues to issue orders to kill those he suspects would expose his role in the Nov. 23 massacre, a former hitman of the Ampatuans revealed Tuesday.

In an interview with reporters, “Jesse” (not his real name) said around four days after Andal Jr., also known as “Datu Unsay,” was taken into custody by the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila, his cousin and best friend, Datu Kanor, received a call from him ordering that his driver, Tanto, be killed for being “careless.”

Jesse heard Andal Jr. mention his name to do the hit.

Jesse said reports had reached Andal Jr. that Tanto, who had witnessed the massacre but did not participate in the killing would not stay in their designated hiding place.

Afraid he would be killed if he did not follow the order, Jesse said he asked Tanto to go with him to “sagingan”—a place planted with bananas—in Barangay Dicalungan. “Sinabi ko ‘dito tayo mag-guerilla (Let’s do the guerilla operations here),” he related.

In the evening, they put up mosquito nets. While Tanto was sleeping, Jesse said he shot him twice from behind with his assigned weapon, a baby M203. Some other people took care of burying him, on orders from Andal Jr., he said.

Jesse said Datu Kanor, who remains at large, later asked him to surrender his weapon to him, which he did. Then he learned that there was also an order to kill him. He said Andal Jr. was heard to have said, “Yang si Jesse, kapag nahuli yan, baka magwitness (Jesse might become a witness if he is caught).”

The self-confessed hitman said he found a way to leave Ampatuan’s controlled territory and contacted people who facilitated his trip to Manila. He is being considered under the Witness Protection Program.

In a safehouse, Jesse identified at least six journalists from the pictures of some 30 journalists( among the 58) killed on Nov. 23 shown him. They were Benjie Adolfo of Gold Star Daily; Henry Araneta, DZRH; Mac-Mac Arriola, UNTV; Lindo Lupogan, Mindanao Daily Gazette; Victor Nuñez, UNTV; and Fernando Razon, Periodico Ini.

At the interview, he narrated the details of the Nov. 23 massacre calmly, which was not the case when he first met his lawyer, said a source who facilitated the meeting with journalists.

But there was still fear in his voice talking about Andal Jr. “Malakas siya. May cell phone siya kahit nakakulong.Tumatawag at nagti-text (He is untouchable. He has a cellphone even in detention. He calls and sends text messages),” he said.

In a narration of events given to a lawyer with the help of a translator, Jesse said of Andal Jr.: “ would send word to us to stay where we are—to be patient—because he will prevail over his enemies. He said not even the Mangundadatus would be able to defeat him because the Ampatuans have the money and the connections. He would also warn us that any of us who decides to betray him will pay dearly for it. He would warn us that he will eventually catch up with anyone who turns against him. Not even prison walls can stop him, he would say.”

He said it was Andal Jr. who picked him to serve as a member of the Police Auxiliary Force (PAF) of Ampatuan town because he saw him involved in street brawls. “Hindi ako natatalo (I never lost in fights),” he said. He was assigned as close-in bodyguard of Datu Kanor.

As a member of the town’s PAF, he was paid a monthly salary of P3,000 and a sack of rice. In addition, Datu Kanor would occasionally give him small amounts ranging from P200 to P500 as allowance.

Jesse said as Datu Kanor’s close-in bodyguard, he was privy to the conversations of his boss with the Ampatuans.

He said the planning for the Nov. 23 massacre was finalized in a meeting at the Ampatuan house a week before among Andal Sr., Andal Jr., Datu Kanor, Datu Mama and several others he could not remember. He said he was just two meters away from the group.

The decision was to stop Esmael “Toto” Magundadatu by all means, the hitman said.

Jesse said Datu Kanor deployed him and the other auxiliaries under him on Nov. 21, a Friday. They were about 200, complete with armored trucks bristling with .50- and .30-caliber machineguns.

“Datu Kanor himself manned the roadblock we placed along the highway, not far from a bridge. I accompanied him there. Also with us was a man who was introduced to me as Superintendent Dicay, a PNP (Philippine National Police) officer,” he said.

He remembered seeing some 30 soldiers who were told to leave.

He said the Mangundadatus showed up at the roadblock late morning Sunday. As ordered, he seized the video cameras of what he took to be media people on the lead vehicle, a white pickup. Then at gunpoint the people in the convoy were ordered to step out of the vehicles and form a line beside their vehicles. They confiscated cell phones, cameras and other electronic equipment and placed them on a table they set up near the roadblock.

“Shortly after, Datu Unsay arrived, toting a baby M203 rifle grenade launcher,” Jesse said. “He headed for the third van, which carried the Mangudadatus. I saw Datu Unsay hit Genalyn Mangudadatu with the butt of his rifle on the left cheek. She staggered and gave a cry of pain. She cursed Datu Unsay.”

Mangudadatu and his party, among them some 30 journalists and some uninvolved motorists, were herded back into the vehicles and brought to the hilly portion of Sitio Masalay in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town.

“Only 26 of us accompanied the convoy to Masalay. Seven of us were designated as shooters by Datu Unsay—himself, Datu Kanor, Datu Ban, Datu Mama, myself, a certain Kudja, and a police officer whom I knew to be Police Officer 1 Ando Masukat,” Jesse said.

“Three of us shooters were armed with Baby M203 rifle grenade launchers—myself, Datu Ban and Datu Unsay; Datu Mama held an AK-47 rifle; Datu Kanor, a K-3 light machinegun. Both Kudja and Ando Masukat were armed with M16 Armalite rifles.

“When we reached the hill, Datu Unsay, who came in his black DMX truck, ordered the passengers in the third van to alight first. I followed the passengers as they stepped out of the van. As Genalyn Mangudadatu emerged from the van, Datu Unsay hit her on the left cheek with the butt of his gun. She staggered at the blow and nearly collapsed to the ground, breaking into loud sobs. Datu Unsay then told everyone to form a line and to lie prostrate on the ground not far from the van. The victims complied with his order. We shooters then formed a jagged line just a foot or so away behind them.

“Genalyn Mangudadatu lay at the head of the line .When Datu Unsay tried to pull her up by an arm to stand, she refused. Instead, she knelt on the ground. An angry Datu Unsay then aimed his baby M203 rifle grenade launcher at her back and fired pointblank on full automatic mode. I heard the woman gave a loud cry as she fell to the ground,” he narrated.

Jesse said Andal Jr. then gave the order to start shooting: “Sige (Go ahead), fight.”

“I pulled the trigger—we all pulled the trigger and we all fired on full automatic mode. We stood so close to our victims that when we stopped shooting, we were all drenched in blood and bits of human remains—brain matter, bone splinters, strips of skin. Datu Unsay’s white polo shirt turned to crimson,” he said.

Jesse can’t say how many he killed but when he stopped firing, and checked his weapon, he found out he had fired 23 out of 30 rounds.

The witness was conscience stricken especially when he heard Andal Jr. say while laughing, “Wala nang kalaban. Wala akong pakialam sa media (The enemies are gone. I don’t care about the media).”

This story is also posted in VERA Files:http://verafiles.org/main/focus/the-long-arm-of-the-ampatuans/