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A politically powerful clan implicated in a massacre of civilians in southern Mindanao on Tuesday said it is supporting the bid for president of a member of another influential family in the May 10 elections.

“It was a family decision to support Noynoy Aquino,” Andal Ampatuan Jr. said during a press conference inside a maximum-security jail located south of Manila, referring to Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd, the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party (LP).

Ampatuan Jr. then smiled as he flashed an “L” hand signal that is used by Aquino and is widely regarded as a symbol of clean government.

His family’s expression of support for the LP candidate was quickly rejected by Aquino himself.

“No, thank you,” he said also on Tuesday in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental province, where he was campaigning.

Aquino called the supposed endorsement of Ampatuan Jr. a “big joke.”

During a press conference in the city, he said that he has not talked with the Ampatuans and that the LP was not seeking the support of the Muslim clan.

In throwing his family’s support behind Aquino, Ampatuan Jr. at the same time insisted during a bizarre jailhouse press conference inside Bagong Diwa Camp in Taguig City (Metro Manila) that he was innocent of the mass killings of 57 civilians, including 30 journalists, in Maguindanao province in Mindanao on November 23, 2009.

Wearing a yellow prison T-shirt but no handcuffs, he was relaxed and smiled as he gave his most expansive comments to the media since being arrested last year for the slaughter of the 57 people.

“I had no role in what happened,” Ampatuan Jr. told reporters who gathered at short notice for the press conference.

He gave a variety of scenarios as to who may have been behind the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao, where his family had dominated politics for over a decade.

The family is accused of orchestrating the killings to stop a rival politician, Esmael Mangudadatu, from running against Ampatuan Jr. for the post of Maguindanao governor in the May 10 national elections.

The patriarch of the clan, Andal Ampatuan Sr., was then the governor of Maguindanao. He was grooming Ampatuan Jr. to succeed him and the son is accused of leading 100 gunmen in carrying out the murders.

Among the victims were the wife and two sisters of Mangudadatu, along with the 30 journalists traveling with them in a convoy to register his candidacy for the Maguindanao governorship.

Until the massacre, the Ampatuans had been close political allies of President Gloria Arroyo and used by her to contain Muslim fighters waging a decades-long insurgency in the South.

As part of this containment strategy, President Arroyo had allowed the Ampatuans to maintain a private army numbering thousands of men, as well as massive amounts of weapons and ammunition.

According to conspiracy theories in the Philippine media in recent days, the President is still secretly protecting the Ampatuans.

These theories were fuelled by a shock government decision over the weekend to drop murder charges against two key Ampatuans.

The Liberal Party of Aquino, the clear favorite to succeed Mrs. Arroyo, said that the decision to drop the murder charges against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan Sr. was part of the President’s plan to rig the national elections.

Zaldy, the governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his cousin Akmad Sr., the mayor of Mamasapano town in Maguindanao, are among 197 people facing charges of murder for the Maguindanao massacre.

Malacañang also on Tuesday admitted that it would not be easy for the President to step into the controversial and sensitive case against the Ampatuan clan.

Deputy spokesman Gary Olivar said that it would be a very difficult decision for Mrs. Arroyo, who is consulting legal authorities before she could take any stand on Justice Secretary Alberto Agra’s decision to drop the charges against Zaldy and Akmad.

He added that the President could still reverse the decision, which is being criticized by various groups including state prosecutors, journalists and families of the massacre victims.

Softening up
Agra has shown signs of softening up amid mounting calls for him to resign in connection with his controversial resolution that absolved two members of the Ampatuan clan.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also on Tuesday dismissed a motion filed by Mayor Freddie Tinga of Taguig seeking reconsideration of its decision allowing the transfer of the members of the Ampatuan clan and the more than 100 accused in the Maguindanao massacre to Camp Bagong Diwa.

Agra also on Tuesday said that while his resolution ordered exclusion from the information sheet of the names of Zaldy and Akmad, the resolution was not yet final and executory.

“My decision was not yet final. There is still a possibility that I may reverse or modify it. Of course, there is also a possibility that I may sustain my earlier position,” he added.

He explained that private prosecutors have the option to file a motion for reconsideration with his office or may file a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals.

Agra encouraged the aggrieved parties to immediately file a motion for reconsideration because without it, he could not act on his own.

“I could not act till they filed the motion with my office. I cannot reverse or reevaluate my decision without the motion for reconsideration,” he said. “That is why I am asking them to file a motion for reconsideration immediately.”

Under the Rules of Court, the aggrieved parties have 15 days within which to file their motion for reconsideration from the date of the issuance of the resolution.

Chief State Prosecutor Claro Arellano Jr. said that despite the prosecutors’ defiance of the Agra resolution, the opinion of the Justice secretary would still prevail unless it is reversed or modified.

But Arellano said that even if a motion to withdraw information is filed by government prosecutors, the ball is still in the hands of Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City, who now has jurisdiction over the case, whether to accept it.

He disclosed that this is the first time in the history of the Justice department that the prosecutors declared their opposition to a resolution of the secretary of Justice.AFP

A politically powerful clan implicated in a massacre of civilians in southern Mindanao on Tuesday said it is supporting the bid for president of a member of another influential family in the May 10 elections.

“It was a family decision to support Noynoy Aquino,” Andal Ampatuan Jr. said during a press conference inside a maximum-security jail located south of Manila, referring to Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd, the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party (LP).

Ampatuan Jr. then smiled as he flashed an “L” hand signal that is used by Aquino and is widely regarded as a symbol of clean government.

His family’s expression of support for the LP candidate was quickly rejected by Aquino himself.

“No, thank you,” he said also on Tuesday in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental province, where he was campaigning.

Aquino called the supposed endorsement of Ampatuan Jr. a “big joke.”

During a press conference in the city, he said that he has not talked with the Ampatuans and that the LP was not seeking the support of the Muslim clan.

In throwing his family’s support behind Aquino, Ampatuan Jr. at the same time insisted during a bizarre jailhouse press conference inside Bagong Diwa Camp in Taguig City (Metro Manila) that he was innocent of the mass killings of 57 civilians, including 30 journalists, in Maguindanao province in Mindanao on November 23, 2009.

Wearing a yellow prison T-shirt but no handcuffs, he was relaxed and smiled as he gave his most expansive comments to the media since being arrested last year for the slaughter of the 57 people.

“I had no role in what happened,” Ampatuan Jr. told reporters who gathered at short notice for the press conference.

He gave a variety of scenarios as to who may have been behind the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao, where his family had dominated politics for over a decade.

The family is accused of orchestrating the killings to stop a rival politician, Esmael Mangudadatu, from running against Ampatuan Jr. for the post of Maguindanao governor in the May 10 national elections.

The patriarch of the clan, Andal Ampatuan Sr., was then the governor of Maguindanao. He was grooming Ampatuan Jr. to succeed him and the son is accused of leading 100 gunmen in carrying out the murders.

Among the victims were the wife and two sisters of Mangudadatu, along with the 30 journalists traveling with them in a convoy to register his candidacy for the Maguindanao governorship.

Until the massacre, the Ampatuans had been close political allies of President Gloria Arroyo and used by her to contain Muslim fighters waging a decades-long insurgency in the South.

As part of this containment strategy, President Arroyo had allowed the Ampatuans to maintain a private army numbering thousands of men, as well as massive amounts of weapons and ammunition.

According to conspiracy theories in the Philippine media in recent days, the President is still secretly protecting the Ampatuans.

These theories were fuelled by a shock government decision over the weekend to drop murder charges against two key Ampatuans.

The Liberal Party of Aquino, the clear favorite to succeed Mrs. Arroyo, said that the decision to drop the murder charges against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan Sr. was part of the President’s plan to rig the national elections.

Zaldy, the governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his cousin Akmad Sr., the mayor of Mamasapano town in Maguindanao, are among 197 people facing charges of murder for the Maguindanao massacre.

Malacañang also on Tuesday admitted that it would not be easy for the President to step into the controversial and sensitive case against the Ampatuan clan.

Deputy spokesman Gary Olivar said that it would be a very difficult decision for Mrs. Arroyo, who is consulting legal authorities before she could take any stand on Justice Secretary Alberto Agra’s decision to drop the charges against Zaldy and Akmad.

He added that the President could still reverse the decision, which is being criticized by various groups including state prosecutors, journalists and families of the massacre victims.

Softening up
Agra has shown signs of softening up amid mounting calls for him to resign in connection with his controversial resolution that absolved two members of the Ampatuan clan.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also on Tuesday dismissed a motion filed by Mayor Freddie Tinga of Taguig seeking reconsideration of its decision allowing the transfer of the members of the Ampatuan clan and the more than 100 accused in the Maguindanao massacre to Camp Bagong Diwa.

Agra also on Tuesday said that while his resolution ordered exclusion from the information sheet of the names of Zaldy and Akmad, the resolution was not yet final and executory.

“My decision was not yet final. There is still a possibility that I may reverse or modify it. Of course, there is also a possibility that I may sustain my earlier position,” he added.

He explained that private prosecutors have the option to file a motion for reconsideration with his office or may file a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals.

Agra encouraged the aggrieved parties to immediately file a motion for reconsideration because without it, he could not act on his own.

“I could not act till they filed the motion with my office. I cannot reverse or reevaluate my decision without the motion for reconsideration,” he said. “That is why I am asking them to file a motion for reconsideration immediately.”

Under the Rules of Court, the aggrieved parties have 15 days within which to file their motion for reconsideration from the date of the issuance of the resolution.

Chief State Prosecutor Claro Arellano Jr. said that despite the prosecutors’ defiance of the Agra resolution, the opinion of the Justice secretary would still prevail unless it is reversed or modified.

But Arellano said that even if a motion to withdraw information is filed by government prosecutors, the ball is still in the hands of Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City, who now has jurisdiction over the case, whether to accept it.

He disclosed that this is the first time in the history of the Justice department that the prosecutors declared their opposition to a resolution of the secretary of Justice.AFP

A politically powerful clan implicated in a massacre of civilians in southern Mindanao on Tuesday said it is supporting the bid for president of a member of another influential family in the May 10 elections.

“It was a family decision to support Noynoy Aquino,” Andal Ampatuan Jr. said during a press conference inside a maximum-security jail located south of Manila, referring to Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd, the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party (LP).

Ampatuan Jr. then smiled as he flashed an “L” hand signal that is used by Aquino and is widely regarded as a symbol of clean government.

His family’s expression of support for the LP candidate was quickly rejected by Aquino himself.

“No, thank you,” he said also on Tuesday in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental province, where he was campaigning.

Aquino called the supposed endorsement of Ampatuan Jr. a “big joke.”

During a press conference in the city, he said that he has not talked with the Ampatuans and that the LP was not seeking the support of the Muslim clan.

In throwing his family’s support behind Aquino, Ampatuan Jr. at the same time insisted during a bizarre jailhouse press conference inside Bagong Diwa Camp in Taguig City (Metro Manila) that he was innocent of the mass killings of 57 civilians, including 30 journalists, in Maguindanao province in Mindanao on November 23, 2009.

Wearing a yellow prison T-shirt but no handcuffs, he was relaxed and smiled as he gave his most expansive comments to the media since being arrested last year for the slaughter of the 57 people.

“I had no role in what happened,” Ampatuan Jr. told reporters who gathered at short notice for the press conference.

He gave a variety of scenarios as to who may have been behind the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao, where his family had dominated politics for over a decade.

The family is accused of orchestrating the killings to stop a rival politician, Esmael Mangudadatu, from running against Ampatuan Jr. for the post of Maguindanao governor in the May 10 national elections.

The patriarch of the clan, Andal Ampatuan Sr., was then the governor of Maguindanao. He was grooming Ampatuan Jr. to succeed him and the son is accused of leading 100 gunmen in carrying out the murders.

Among the victims were the wife and two sisters of Mangudadatu, along with the 30 journalists traveling with them in a convoy to register his candidacy for the Maguindanao governorship.

Until the massacre, the Ampatuans had been close political allies of President Gloria Arroyo and used by her to contain Muslim fighters waging a decades-long insurgency in the South.

As part of this containment strategy, President Arroyo had allowed the Ampatuans to maintain a private army numbering thousands of men, as well as massive amounts of weapons and ammunition.

According to conspiracy theories in the Philippine media in recent days, the President is still secretly protecting the Ampatuans.

These theories were fuelled by a shock government decision over the weekend to drop murder charges against two key Ampatuans.

The Liberal Party of Aquino, the clear favorite to succeed Mrs. Arroyo, said that the decision to drop the murder charges against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan Sr. was part of the President’s plan to rig the national elections.

Zaldy, the governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his cousin Akmad Sr., the mayor of Mamasapano town in Maguindanao, are among 197 people facing charges of murder for the Maguindanao massacre.

Malacañang also on Tuesday admitted that it would not be easy for the President to step into the controversial and sensitive case against the Ampatuan clan.

Deputy spokesman Gary Olivar said that it would be a very difficult decision for Mrs. Arroyo, who is consulting legal authorities before she could take any stand on Justice Secretary Alberto Agra’s decision to drop the charges against Zaldy and Akmad.

He added that the President could still reverse the decision, which is being criticized by various groups including state prosecutors, journalists and families of the massacre victims.

Softening up
Agra has shown signs of softening up amid mounting calls for him to resign in connection with his controversial resolution that absolved two members of the Ampatuan clan.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also on Tuesday dismissed a motion filed by Mayor Freddie Tinga of Taguig seeking reconsideration of its decision allowing the transfer of the members of the Ampatuan clan and the more than 100 accused in the Maguindanao massacre to Camp Bagong Diwa.

Agra also on Tuesday said that while his resolution ordered exclusion from the information sheet of the names of Zaldy and Akmad, the resolution was not yet final and executory.

“My decision was not yet final. There is still a possibility that I may reverse or modify it. Of course, there is also a possibility that I may sustain my earlier position,” he added.

He explained that private prosecutors have the option to file a motion for reconsideration with his office or may file a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals.

Agra encouraged the aggrieved parties to immediately file a motion for reconsideration because without it, he could not act on his own.

“I could not act till they filed the motion with my office. I cannot reverse or reevaluate my decision without the motion for reconsideration,” he said. “That is why I am asking them to file a motion for reconsideration immediately.”

Under the Rules of Court, the aggrieved parties have 15 days within which to file their motion for reconsideration from the date of the issuance of the resolution.

Chief State Prosecutor Claro Arellano Jr. said that despite the prosecutors’ defiance of the Agra resolution, the opinion of the Justice secretary would still prevail unless it is reversed or modified.

But Arellano said that even if a motion to withdraw information is filed by government prosecutors, the ball is still in the hands of Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City, who now has jurisdiction over the case, whether to accept it.

He disclosed that this is the first time in the history of the Justice department that the prosecutors declared their opposition to a resolution of the secretary of Justice.AFP

By: James Laperal

The recent ‘defection’ of QC 2nd district Rep. Annie Susano—the erstwhile Lakas-Kampi chairman for Quezon City—to Erap’s Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino, with her announced support for the former president (in Erap’s birthday party no less!) instead of Lakas bet Gibo Tedoro has raised some eyebrows, to say the least.

First of all, what is her motive behind her support? “The party knows what I am doing. Whatever their decision will be, so be it...My people and the people of Quezon City love Erap," she said in an ABS-CBN report. So what is the powerful Quezon City Congresswoman doing anyway? We all know that Rep. Annie Susano and Mayoralty candidate Mike Defensor are long-time allies…

During a bloggers function, Mayoralty candidate Mike Defensor said he is running under the PRP (People’s Reform Party) of re-electionist Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. Defensor’s running mate is Councilor Aiko Melendez under Erap’s PMP (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) and both candidates (Mike and Aiko) are said to be supported by former President Estrada. But, Mike is at the same time endorsed by presidentiable-senator Manny Villar’s Nacionalista Party as their mayoralty candidate in Quezon City.

Secondly—and more interestingly—consider this: Susano, who is running for QC mayor, is not only supporting Erap Estrada but is also at odds with Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista. Aiko Melendez, the Vice-Mayoral bet of her opponent Mike Defensor, is Estrada’s “close” partymate and is endorsed by former President Joseph Estrada himself. Councilor Aiko Melendez is also a known nemesis of the comedian Herbert.

The question of why would Rep. Annie Susano is supporting a presidentiable who is in turn supporting one of her main opponents in the QC mayoralty raises many eyebrows. Is there more to her political move than meets the eye?

Clearly, comedian Vice Mayor Herbert “Bistek”Bautista is the odd man out!

The (mayoral) plot thickens…