Nine police and two government militiamen pleaded not guilty yesterday to murder charges in last year’s massacre of 57 people, the Philippines’ worst political violence allegedly orchestrated by members of a powerful clan.
The officers are among 198 suspects charged in the Nov. 23 killings of journalists, supporters and family members of a political candidate — an unprecedented slaughter even in a country notorious for election violence and political killings.
The officers were arraigned three months after principal suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr, former town mayor in the southern province of Maguindanao, also pleaded not guilty to charges that he led police and government paramilitaries in the killings.
PHOTO: AFP
The emotional trial — the Philippines’ largest criminal case since World War II — opened in January. Since then, doubts have emerged of political interference, stoked by a sudden decision last week by acting justice Alberto Agra to clear Ampatuan’s brother and a cousin of murder charges, citing lack of evidence.
Agra’s move triggered protests from his own prosecutors, journalists’ groups, human rights organizations and the victims’ families, who questioned Philippine President Gloria Arroyo’s commitment to seeking justice.
The Ampatuans have been Arroyo’s close political allies for years, helping her win 2004 elections. Arroyo spokesman Gary Olivar said the president was studying Agra’s decision and consulting lawyers.
In another decision criticized publicly, authorities at the maximum-security jail housing the massacre suspects allowed Ampatuan to hold a news conference on Tuesday, during which he said that Arroyo remained a family friend.
He professed his innocence again and even endorsed a presidential candidate.
Philippine Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno expressed surprise yesterday that prison officials allowed Ampatuan to address reporters and said he would investigate.
“I was shocked to be honest. It looked like he was on vacation. He did not look like an inmate,” Puno said, describing a smiling Ampatuan sitting at a table, looking fresh and relaxed.
Witnesses have testified that Ampatuan led dozens of gunmen in blocking a convoy of the rival Mangudadatu clan members, followers and journalists as they were about to register a gubernatorial candidate to challenge the Ampatuans’ control of the province. They were later shot and buried in mass graves on a nearby hilltop.
Among other suspects are Ampatuan’s father and family patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Sr, and four other relatives.
Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes yesterday allowed a delay in the arraignment of four other police because of a motion to quash charges filed by their lawyer.
The policemen, wearing detainee shirts, were handcuffed amid tight security at the packed courtroom. The handcuffs were briefly removed when they entered their plea to multiple murders.
Families of the victims were among those attending the proceedings. Several of the them petitioned the judge on Tuesday to suspend the trial until a new president has succeeded Arroyo in July. They were not confident of attaining justice while Arroyo remains in office, their lawyer, Harry Roque said, citing the decision to drop charges against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan.
“The decision dropping murder charges against them was so sly and done on a weekend when no one was looking,” Roque told reporters after the hearing. “It is so brazen, and shows that justice will not be reached in this administration.”
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was