Philippines: Ampatuan massacre case witness killed | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Philippines: Ampatuan massacre case witness killed | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
Edwin Espejo, May 31, 2012

A day after Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima defended her government’s human rights record before the United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, a witness in the 2009 Ampatuan massacre was reported to have been killed, and apparently mutilated, more than two months after he was reported missing.

According to private prosecutor Nena Satos, police authorities in Maguindanao confirmed the death of Esmail Amil Enog who was reportedly chopped into pieces.

Enog was admitted as state witness but declined to put himself under the government’s witness protection program because he did not want to be restricted to government safe houses.

He testified in July that he drove at least 36 armed men to the remote village of Malataing in Ampatuan town of Maguindanao where 57 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, were gunned down on November 23, 2009.

The journalists and media workers were to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy then of now Maguindanao Gov.  Esmael ‘Toto’ Mangudadatu.

Police did not provide information on who was behind the killing of Enog.

Another possible witness who was mentioned by Enog during his testimony, Alijol Ampatuan, is also reported missing.

Enog was the latest witness in the Ampatuan murder case to be killed since trial began last year.

In July 2010, Suwaib Upham, who confessed to participation in the brutal killings, was reported to have been killed by unknown assassins.  Upham was reportedly poised to turn state witness.

Relatives of other witnesses have also been killed in separate instances and under mysterious circumstances and another suspect who turned state witness reportedly jumped to his death inside the heavily secured police detention center in Bicutan, Metro Manila.

A total of 196 people, majority of them police officers and paramilitary forces of the Ampatuan family, are now facing murder charges.

Only 97, however, have been arrested and only 17 have been arraigned so far.
The suspects are led by Andal Ampatuan Sr and sons Anwar Jr, Zaldy, Sajid and brother Kanor Ampatuan.

Among those killed were six member of the Mangudadatu family, their two lawyers and several other relatives.

Genalyn Mangudadatu, headed the convoy that was on its way to file the certificate of candidacy of her husband Toto Mangudadatu.  She and members of the convoy, including some innocent motorists, did not reach the provincial capitol
Andal Sr. was former governor of Maguindanao and eldest son Zaldy was governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at the time of the killings.

Anwar Jr, who was tagged by witnesses as the one who flagged down the convoy in Ampatuan town, is the mayor of Datu Unsay town.

He would have run for governor and faced Toto Mangudadatu.

International outcry over the worst election-related violence however led to the declaration of martial law in the province.  The killings were also the worst single-day murders of journalists and media workers in the world.

The Ampatuans were arrested in the ensuing crackdown but only Anwar Sr and Anwar Jr have been arraigned more than 30 months after the murders.