MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE: INFLUENTIAL MAYOR AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANILA 002469 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM KCRM KUS ASEC RP SUBJECT: MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE: INFLUENTIAL MAYOR AND POLICEMEN IN CUSTODY REF: A. MANILA 2465 (AMBASSADOR PRESSES) ¶B. MANILA 2448 (CLAN VIOLENCE) Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, reason: 1.4 (b and d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Moving with unwonted speed after the brutal November 23 massacre in Maguindanao Province that left at least 57 persons dead -- including 28 from media organizations -- the Philippine government took into custody a key member of a powerful Muslim clan and said it would charge him with multiple murders. The Philippine Justice and Interior Secretaries oversaw the arrest of Datu Unsay municipality Mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr., and his transfer to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila. In a call to Justice Secretary Devanadera, the Ambassador underscored the need for a swift and thorough prosecution, saying that Philippine credibility was at stake. Secretary Devanadera concurred that prompt judicial action was vital to restore the rule of law and forestall reprisals. She also suggested other Ampatuan family members might face arrest, but that it was politically sensitive given the clan's long-time support for the Arroyo Administration. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) disarmed militia members in Maguindanao, while authorities detained over 20 militiamen and four police officers, placing two other police officers on "administrative relief." On the political front, the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party expelled the top members of the Ampatuan clan, the ruling coalition's strongest backers in Muslim Mindanao. End Summary. TOP SUSPECT ARRESTED -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The authorities took Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr., into custody November 26 and announced their intention to file multiple murder charges against him in connection with the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province on November 23. Mayor Ampatuan denied culpability, claiming renegade Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander Umbra Kato as the likely culprit. Energy Department Undersecretary Zamzamin Ampatuan, the Mayor's uncle, said the Mayor agreed to surrender to the authorities after Ampatuan clan elders convened on November 25 to discuss the situation and then met with Mayor Ampatuan. ¶3. (C) Relatives of the victims identified Mayor Ampatuan as the on-site leader of the approximately 100 armed men who intercepted the convoy of Mangudadatu family members and supporters en route to file gubernatorial candidacy papers for a leading Mangudadatu clan member. On November 26, an unidentified man with his face concealed appeared on an Al Jazeera news broadcast, claiming he had been among the armed group that committed the murders. The man said "Andal himself said anyone from the Mangudadatu clan -- women or children -- should be killed," and also alleged that some assailants raped the women before murdering them. An RSO contact (protect) told us November 27 that, although there were signs of rape, forensic specialists had not yet confirmed this. ¶4. (C) Mayor Ampatuan, accompanied by Jess Dureza, President Arroyo's advisor on Mindanao affairs, was flown from Maguindanao to Manila, where he is in National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) custody. Dureza subsequently told the media that, on departure from Maguindanao, the helicopter carrying him and Ampatuan was hit by bullets fired from the ground. (An NBI official told a LEGATT official that Ampatuan had requested NBI headquarters as the site for his detention. The NBI privately confirmed the government would file multiple murder charges against Ampatuan on November 27. The NBI has assigned this case to its counterterrorism unit.) AMBASSADOR URGES THOROUGH INVESTIGATION -------------- ¶5. (C) In a November 27 call to Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, who is personally heading the government's prosecution effort, the Ambassador welcomed the Secretary's attention to the case, and stressed that the United States viewed the judicial process in this savage incident as vital in reasserting the rule of law in Maguindanao and in the runup to the May 2010 election. The Ambassador noted that the investigation was being watched around the world, and it MANILA 00002469 002 OF 003 was vital for Filipino credibility that these cases move ahead vigorously, and not get sidetracked or forgotten. ¶6. (C) Secretary Devanadera called the past few days "very hard," both emotionally and politically, as this was a tough issue with many complications. She said she took charge personally to ensure this wasn't handled as just a law enforcement or military issue, but as a legitimate judicial process. She foresaw much hard work ahead, but pledged continued efforts to get to trial quickly, both for Mayor Ampatuan's high-profile case as well as others. Such prompt action was critical to forestall reprisal attacks and reassure world opinion. MORE AMPATUANS FACING ARREST? -------------- ¶7. (C) In an aside to the Ambassador, Secretary Devanadera confided that she was at Malacanang Palace this morning talking to senior officials because she believed there were other members of the politically powerful Ampatuan family who also may need to be arrested in the case. Noting that the Ampatuans were the Arroyo Administration's strongest supporters in Mindanao, Devanadera said she was trying to convince the Palace of the necessity to broaden the arrests, but said she "needed to work with Malacanang on it first." DEATH TOLL UPDATE -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The Broadcasters Association of the Philippines has informed us that, of the 57 confirmed fatalities, 24 were journalists, two were media cameramen, and two were media-employed drivers. RSO contacts (protect) told us that the authorities are no longer excavating the crime scene. POLICE, MILITIAS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) A military spokesman claimed that most of the perpetrators had fled toward mountainous areas of Maguindanao, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was in pursuit. AFP troops on November 26 moved into the capital of Maguindanao province and took control of some key government buildings. The AFP reported it has already deactivated approximately 350 men who were in the local Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU -- an armed militia),and the AFP would deactivate and disarm more CAFGU units in Maguindanao. At least 20 CAFGU members were under arrest on suspicion of participating in the massacre, according to press reports. ¶10. (SBU) As previewed in ref B, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno told the press on November 26 that four police officers were in custody in Manila after witnesses claimed they were at the scene of the killings: Senior Superintendent Agusana Maguid; Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay; SPO2 Badawi Bakal; and Senior Inspector Ariel Diongon. ¶11. (SBU) The media also reported that two other police officers -- Inspector Armando Mariga and Inspector Saudi Mokamad -- were on "administrative relief" because of suspicions they partook in the massacre. The government has reportedly flown multiple witnesses to Manila, and has taken depositions from witnesses who were under the protection of the victimized Mangudadatu clan. RULING PARTY OUSTS AMPATUANS -------------- ¶12. (SBU) The ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party on November 26 expelled Mayor Ampatuan as well as Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr., and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, the brother of Mayor Ampatuan. Nevertheless, in a maladroit comment, presidential deputy spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo told the press, "I don't think the President's friendship with the Ampatuans will be severed. Just because they're in this situation doesn't mean we will turn our backs on them. It doesn't mean that they are no longer our friends, if ever they indeed committed the crime." AMBASSADOR'S PUBLIC COMMENTS -------------- ¶13. (U) Speaking to the press on November 26 while traveling MANILA 00002469 003 OF 003 to Mindanao with CODEL Filner, the Ambassador denounced the massacre as "appalling and barbaric." She urged the government to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation, without setting a specific deadline that could encourage people to find a few scapegoats for expediency's sake. The government should also ensure security in Maguindanao and prevent any recurrence of such violence, the Ambassador said. She pledged that U.S. assistance projects in Maguindanao would continue. COMMENT -------------- ¶14. (C) The government appears to have mobilized its resources and top officials effectively to date in response to the Maguindanao massacre, which was egregious even by the standards of the Philippines' provincial warlords. We suspect the Ampatuan elders recognized the horrific nature of this massacre and pragmatically decided Mayor Ampatuan would have to bear responsibility. While it is too early to know whether the Philippines' enfeebled law enforcement and judicial systems can deliver real justice in this case, the disbandment of Maguindanao militias and the taking into custody of Mayor Ampatuan may, at least for now, forestall reprisals from the Mangudadatu clan. The Ambassador is continuing to reach out to senior government officials to welcome the steps they have taken so far and encourage sustained attention to this shocking incident. KENNEY