The reign of a feared Muslim clan in the Philippines has come to an end six months after it allegedly massacred 57 people, but security concerns still hang over the province it once ruled.
The Ampatuan family’s control of Maguindanao province officially finished when a member of a rival clan, Esmael Mangudadatu, was declared governor on Friday following Monday’s national elections.
It was a bitter-sweet victory for Mangudadatu, whose wife and two sisters were among the 57 people killed in last year’s massacre as they traveled in a convoy to file his election candidacy at the provincial capital.
“It is painful, but I am happy because I achieved my dream and hope for change,” Mangudadatu told reporters. “Evil has been defeated and we have our freedom.”
Mangudadatu, who defeated an Ampatuan ally in the election, insisted he would not seek revenge for the deaths of his loved ones.
“I do not have vengeance in my heart,” he said.
That pronouncement was viewed with guarded optimism by security officials wary of reprisal attacks.
“The Ampatuan menfolk have already started relocating their families from Maguindanao,” said one intelligence officer closely following the rivalry, but who could not be named because he is not authorized to speak about the matter.
“These Muslim clans are known for their deadly blood feuds and it will certainly apply to this case. It’s only a matter of time before the Mangudadatus start rounding up the Ampatuans,” the officer said.
Muslim clans have for centuries struggled against each for power in the southern Philippines, following a strict code of collecting blood debts.
The Ampatuans also remain a threat after siphoning off tens of millions of US dollars during their 10 years in power, and are still in control of hundreds of gunmen, said International Crisis Group, a global conflict monitor.
The Philippine military remains wary of the Ampatuans.
“We hope this is a start of a different Maguindanao, but to a certain degree, they [Ampatuan’s followers] still remain a threat,” regional military spokesman Colonel Benjie Hao said. “The only difference now is we can control their movements and we are focusing on getting these militias. [But] they are there and still hiding.”
Maguindanao had been ruled by the Ampatuan clan with the backing of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and her ruling coalition. The government allowed them to run their own private army so they would serve as a proxy force in the struggle against Muslim separatist rebels in the south.
Clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr carved the province into 36 townships, and as an overlord ensured his children and relatives sat as mayors and council members. They crushed opposition from rival families, employing their militia that allegedly carried out hundreds of summary executions and random attacks.
Grisly tales of brutal attacks, including burning of entire villages and chainsaw massacres, remain staples of conversation in roadside eateries and community centers in Maguindanao.
The Ampatuan’s fortunes were reversed after the Nov. 23 massacre, whose victims included 31 journalists who were traveling with the Mangudadatu womenfolk to the electoral office.
Ampatuan’s favorite son and namesake allegedly led more than 100 gunmen in the attack, then sought to hide evidence by burying the bodies in shallow pits using a government-owned excavator.
Six clan members, including father and son, are among 197 people now charged with murder.
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