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Antecedent Facts and Pertinent dates:
On November 23, 2009 Datu
Esmael “Toto” Gaguil Mangudadatu authorized his wife Bai
Genalin “ Gigi” T. Mangudadatu to file his certificate
of candidacy for Governor of Maguindanao.
Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr., the
incumbent Governor of Maguindanao is finishing his third
term as governor of the province of Maguindanao. The son of
Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., Datu Unsay Mayor Datu Andal
Ampatuan Jr. is poised to run for the position his father is
to vacate.
On November 23,
2009, Bai Genalin Mangudadatu
together with some relatives, the lawyers of the
Mangudadatus and members of media boarded a convoy of 9
civilian vehicles to file the CoC of Toto Mangudadatu.
The convoy was headed towards the Municipality of Ampatuan,
Maguindanao from the Municipality of Ezperanza when it was
halted at a mobile check point in Sittio Maliling, Brgy.
Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao. Shortly thereafter, several
vehicles boarded by about one hundred heavily armed men
arrived, and started pointing their weapons at the occupants
of the convoy.
The armed group who were led by Datu Unsay, Maguindanao
Mayor Datu Andal U. Ampatuan Jr. (also known as “Datu
Unsay”) ordered the occupants of the convoy get out of their
vehicles and to lie down on the ground. After this the
victims were divested of their personal belongings. The
armed group then took control of their vehicles and ordered
the victims to board the vehicles. The vehicles of armed
group and the convoy left the check point heading towards
the same direction.
At about 11 A.M. of the same
day a series of shots were heard at Brgy. Saniag, Ampatuan,
Maguindanao. Military and police troops were dispatched to
validate the reported alleged abduction and shooting.
The troops initially found
twenty one dead bodies with multiple gunshot wounds. Five
vehicles and a backhoe were also initially found in the
area. After the joint efforts of the different government
agencies investigating the crime scene a total of fifty
seven cadavers (57) including those of Bai Genalin and other
members of the Mangudadatu family, their lawyers and members
of media, and nine (9) motor vehicles were recovered in the
crime scene.
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Antecedent Facts and
Pertinent Dates:
On November 27,
2009 up to the present time,
in the province of Maguindanao, Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr.,
Datu Zaldy u. Ampatuan, Datu Akmad Tato Ampatuan, Datu Anwar
Ampatuan and Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan as heads of the
rebellion conspired and cooperated with each other as well
as other john does have been massing up armed men and
organizing assemblies as a necessary means to commit the
crime of rebellion and in furtherance thereof.
On November 29, 2009,
Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Datu Zaldy Ampatuan wanted their
followers to stage a rally in front of Andal Sr.’s house to
show the government that the people support them and believe
in their innocence.
The series of operations/raids
conducted by government forces in the different properties
of the Ampatuans resulted to the seizure of more than 50
pieces of assorted high-powered firearms, including a 50
caliber machine gun and a Barret sniper rifle were seized
from
On December 2, 2009 the
Ampatuans positioned their armed men in different places in
Brgy. Poblacion, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
The massive formation of
numerous armed civilians supported by armored tanks with
their own markings and under the command of the Ampatuans
indicated that there exists a “private army” formed to
resist government troops and law enforcement personnel
carrying out the investigation of the massacre.
The result of the terror,
caused by the projections of the Ampatuans there, were as
follows:
There were no prosecutors
available to conduct the inquest and preliminary
investigation relative to the murder of the 57 victims;
The local government officials were nowhere to be found;
Most of the employees of the local government units went on
mass leaves and their respective offices were either closed
or not functioning that even the civil Registrar refused to
issue Death Certificates of the victims of the massacre.
The substitution of the judge of the RTC Branch 15—the court
which has jurisdiction over the site of the massacre.
The refusal of the judge to accept the application for
search warrants for the properties of the Ampatuan family.
There was undue delay in the issuance of court processes
despite the exigency of the situation. |
