That was the start of what promises to be one of the country's most disturbing legal trials to date, the massacre in broad daylight of men and women -- including one who was pregnant -- at a makeshift roadblock in November 2009.

It is also on track to be one of the Philippines' most convoluted politically motivated killings surrounding local clan loyalties.

Police found their bodies, along with several vehicles in which they were travelling, buried in a deep roadside grave near the site of the shootings. They were on their way to the elections office in Ampatuan town on Maguindanao, the second-largest and easternmost island in the country. Ampatuan is around 560 miles south of the capital Manila.

The victims were supporters of Toto Mangudadatu, another deputy mayor of a local town but who was not with the convoy that fateful day. Mangudadatu was to seek the local gubernatorial seat in the coming May elections, and his supporters as well as several local journalists were on their way to file his papers to register him as an official candidate.

The island of Maguindanao is part of the autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao, an area noted for indiscriminate killings and kidnappings where political and business leaders are careful of public appearances. Mangudadatu said right after the killings that he did not send his own armed guards with his supporters because he did not want to increase the chance of any armed street battle.

Authorities quickly arrested several people including the governor of Maguindanao Island, Andal Ampatuan Sr., and his son, Andal Ampatuan Jr., mayor of Ampatuan town.

It was Andal Ampatuan Jr. who, according to the eyewitness testimony of his own deputy mayor, Datu Rasul Sangki, fired the first shot at the people, using an M16 Armalite rifle, and killing a local journalist. He then shot two women, according to Sangki.

One of the women was the sister and the other the wife of Toto Mangudadatu, who was to challenge Ampatuan Jr. for the gubernatorial seat.

Police found both women shot to death at the grave site.

Sangki, who said he was on the same vehicle with Ampatuan Jr. at 10:30 am on Nov. 23, testified that the massacre was orchestrated by Ampatuan Sr. The family patriarch allegedly gave his go-ahead to carry out the killings to his son through a two-way radio, according to a report in the Manila Times newspaper.

Sangki said that he heard the father say, "You know what to do" as rival supporters approached by car.

"From what I heard, the victims were begging and the women were shouting before they were shot," Sangki testified. Ampatuan Jr. also ordered some of his men to shoot the victims again, supposedly to ensure that there were no survivors. He also testified that several police officers were involved in the killings that day.

After the incident, Sangki said Ampatuan Jr. told him, "You saw nothing and heard nothing."

Ampatuan's lawyer challenged Sangki as to why, if he knew beforehand that the killings were planned, he did not do his best to stop or at least report them before that day.

Sangki said he was afraid to divulge the planned massacre, especially since the Ampatuans control the local police and the military, which might harm him and his family if he exposed the plans.

The hearings will continue likely until the end of February and could lead to a full trial of several Ampatuan family members. But Ampatuan Jr., the only one accused so far, has said he is not guilty of the 41 counts.

While on one level the massacre is about local clan politics, a trial could show a disturbingly darker side of political networks in the Philippines generally.

The family was known to have stockpiles of weapons at their various homes and was at one time a close political ally of President Gloria Macapagal. Some members were also suspected of being involved in the alleged rigging in Macapagal's favor of the 2004 presidential elections, according to a report in the Philippines Times newspaper.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News