In an order dated March 24, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes admitted the amended information for multiple murder charges against the 196, which include five high-profile members of the Ampatuan clan as well as police officers.
With seven of the accused in the amended charge sheet already in custody, the court issued separate arrest warrants for 56 counts of murder against the 189 who are considered at large. No bail was recommended.
Only Andal Ampatuan Jr. was charged with 56 counts of murder last month. He entered a plea of not guilty.
In the amended information, also charged with the mass murder were Andal Ampatuan Sr., Zaldy Ampatuan, Akmad Ampatuan Sr., Sajid Ampatuan and Anwar Ampatuan who are all detained in different police camps in Davao and General Santos City.
Also under detention are two other accused—Jakpan Dilon and Esmael Casapia.
Court staffers said the court issued the order for the indictment and the arrest warrants on Wednesday, but the arrest warrants were released to be served only yesterday.
The police officials who were ordered arrested were Chief
Insp. Sukarno Dicay; Senior Insp. Abdulgapor Abad of the Regional Mobile Group (RMG); Supt. Abusana Mundas Maguid, Maguindanao provincial police director; Supt. Bahnarin Kamaong and Supt. Abdulwahid Pedtucasan of the RMG; Insp. Rex Ariel Diongon of the Provincial Mobile Group (PMG); Insp. Michael Hoy Macaney; and Insp. Saudi Mukamad of the PMG.
Also ordered arrested was the vice mayor of Sultan Barongis town, Zukarno Badal.
Members of the Ampatuan clan were implicated in the mass murder of 57 people, including women, lawyers and journalists accompanying the relatives of Esmael Mangudadatu, who was set to contest the position of Maguindanao governor against a member of the Ampatuan clan. The Ampatuans have denied any involvement in the killings.
The DOJ has also filed a rebellion case against the Ampatuans, which is now pending before Quezon City Judge Vivencio Baclig.
Early this week, Reyes junked a defense motion seeking her inhibition from the case. Reyes maintained that she was not biased or partial against the accused.
The court has yet to announce where the next hearing of the case will be. Previous hearings were held in Camp Crame.
“In order not to frustrate the ends of justice, let warrants of arrest be issued against all accused,” said an excerpt of Judge Reyes’ order.
Four Ampatuans are detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) compound at Camp Fermin G. Lira Jr. in General Santos City—Zaldy, Sajid, Anwar and their uncle Akmad.
The Ampatuan patriarch, Andal Sr., is in a military hospital in Davao City.
Families of journalists killed in the massacre said they welcomed the arrest warrants but expressed fear it will still not lead to swift justice.
Monet Salaysay, widow of Mindanao Gazette publisher Napoleon Salaysay, said the issuance of the warrant of arrest came as a piece of good news at a time they were starting to doubt the outcome of the case.
“What I cannot understand is why they keep on arguing about bail. Isn’t it clear that murder is nonbailable?” she said.
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