MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said it intensified its manhunt operations on several suspects of the Maguindanao massacre who remained at large.
PNP officer-in-charge Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa said authorities have “doubled all efforts” to arrest the 80 other suspects after a Quezon City court handed down its verdict on the 101 accused.
Gamboa directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Intelligence Group and the police officers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to launch massive manhunt operations for the fugitives.
“Considering the nature of their crime and their continued flight from justice, we presume these fugitives to be armed and dangerous,” Gamboa said.
Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes convicted 28 people – including brothers Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan – of 75 counts of murder and sentenced up to 40 years in prison without parole.
As stated in the dispositive portion of the 761-page decision, the prosecution was able to “establish the guilt beyond reasonable doubt” of 28 accused, including the said members of the Ampatuan clan.
Also convicted were Datu Anwar Sajid “Ulo” Ampatuan and Anwar “Ipi” Ampatuan Jr. Some cops led by former chief inspector Sukarno Dicay of the 15th Regional Mobile Group, and a number of civilians received the same punishment.
Fourteen cops and an Ampatuan aide Bong Andal were sentenced to six to 10 years of imprisonment for being accessories to the crime. The court ordered the arrest of the 80 suspects who remain at large.
Sajid Islam Ampatuan and Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan Sr., meanwhile, were acquitted due to “reasonable doubt.” Fifty-four others were also absolved from the crime.
The Maguindanao massacre is considered as the Philippines worst case of election-related violence and the single deadliest attack on journalists since detailed records were kept./PN
