PostHeaderIcon Maguindanao bloodbath blamed on Ampatuans



The gruesome massacre which left at least 36 people dead after they were kidnapped in Maguindanao, Mindanao, Philippines had been blamed on political rivalries involving leaders of the powerful Ampatuan clan.

Four survivors whose identities were not disclosed alleged that they heard Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr say the killings were demanded by his father Andal Sr. and older brother Zaldy, the governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

Among the victims was Genalyn T. Mangudadatu, wife of Buluan, Maguindanao vice mayor Datu Ismail “Toto” Manguddatu, the chief political rival of the powerful Ampatuans. Genalyn died with the convoy which included Toto’s two sisters, two lawyers, about a dozen journalists and supporters who did not survive the shootings perpetrated by heavily-armed men. Military authorities set up check-points to find the suspects.

At the time of the killings, the ill-fated group was about to file a certificate of candidacy (COC) for Toto Manguddatu’s run for governor at the Maguindanao Comelec Office in the provincial capital of Shariff Aquak--- a place controlled by the Ampatuan family.

The senseless bloodbath, the most vicious in memory, was condemned by local and international groups such as the Bishops-Ulama Conference, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and the Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres).(Photo Credit: wikimedia) =0=

UPDATE: The Philippine government declared a stte of emergency in the place where the massacre occured as the number of causualties mounted. This will allow curfews and searches to be done by authorities as they search for the gunmen that killed 46 people. Press freedom groups and journalists doubt if justice will be served in this ignominious murders.

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