Nine journalists among victims, authorities say
BY AL JACINTO AND ISAGANI P. PALMA CORRESPONDENTS

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE: At least two dozen people who were kidnapped on Monday were found dead, many of them beheaded, in the province of Maguindanao in southern Philippines, officials said. President Gloria Arroyo condemned the killings in the strongest terms and ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, and the police through Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno to direct their units to conduct immediate and relentless pursuit of the perpetrators.

Gonzales and acting military Chief of Staff Gen. Rodrigo Maclang were also ordered by President Arroyo to proceed to Maguindanao today to personally oversee military action against the attackers.

No effort would be spared to bring justice to the victims and hold the perpetrators accountable to the full extent of the law, the President said.

Civilized society has no place for this kind of violence, Mrs. Arroyo added, as she assured that the rule of law would be restored in the area and the lawless elements neutralized.

Checkpoints, chokepoints

Maclang, in compliance with the President’s orders, directed the establishment of checkpoints and chokepoints and the deployment of troops from the 601st Infantry Brigade to the scene of the carnage.

Additional troops also have been ordered fielded by Mrs. Arroyo to further secure the area.

The President’s adviser for Mindanao affairs asked her to immediately put the entire Maguindanao province under a state of emergency.

“This is a gruesome massacre of civilians unequalled in recent history. Even women and mediamen were not spared. There must be a total stop to this senseless violence,” Jesus Dureza said in a text message to reporters.

“I strongly recommend that a state of emergency be imposed in the area and that everyone be disarmed. Anything less will not work,” he added.

Mrs. Arroyo’s chief political adviser, Gabriel Claudio, said that the government was still trying to sort out the facts about the incident.

“We’re in shock and total outrage. Justice will be served and the perpetrators punished, whoever they are,” he added in a brief message.

Troops were still searching for at least a dozen more likely victims after about a hundred people seized them in the town of Ampatuan, said Army Col. Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Sixth Infantry Division.

“Troops have recovered the bodies of at least 18 people, and later today more bodies were found, many of them beheaded, including probably journalists. The troops are in the area and tracking down those responsible for these killings,” Ponce added.

Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton, the commander of the Sixth Infantry Division, said that a hot-pursuit operation was being conducted to rescue the possible remaining captives who were last seen in Banaba village of Datu Abdullah Sangki town of Maguindanao.

Journalists killed

The police and the military identified the journalists killed based on press identification cards that they had recovered as Hendry Araneta of dzRH radio; Bong Reblando of Manila Bulletin; Gina de la Cruz and Leah Dalmacio, correspondents of Socsargen Today; Ian Subang, publisher of Socsargen Today; Marites Cablitas, publisher of News Focus; Neneng Montanio, publisher of Saksi; and Victor Nuñez and cameraman Mac Ariola of UNTV.

The authorities said that the identities of other journalists killed and who had been reporting from South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces, both also in Mindanao, were yet to be established.

Joseph Jubelag of Manila Standard-Today, Aquillez Zonio of Philippine Daily Inquirer and Paul Bernaldez, all riding in a separate service car, escaped the brutal attack only because they said that they had decided to postpone their trip. It was not clear for which media outfit Bernaldez was reporting.

During an interview, Jubelag said that he, Zonio and Bernaldez aborted their coverage after sensing that something might happen. The three told The Manila Times that they have sought refuge with some fellow journalists in Sultan Kudarat.

Linked to politics

Most of those killed supposedly were relatives and supporters of Pax Mangudadatu, who is running for governor in Maguindanao in next year’s elections.

“What we learned is that at least 41 people were seized in Ampatuan town and many of there were reported killed, including women and probably journalists. We are still gathering more information about this gruesome incident,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior leader of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Kabalu added that politics could be behind the killings. Those abducted were on their way to the poll office in Shariff Aguak town to file the candidacy of Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu of Buluan town.

Ponce said that among those seized were the wife of Vice Mayor Mangudadatu and his sister and other relatives.

ABS-CBN reported that the wife and relatives of the vice mayor, along with several journalists, were kidnapped by more than a hundred gunmen. It quoted the vice mayor as saying that his wife, Jenalyn, and some relatives were on their way to file a certificate of candidacy on his behalf when the group of unidentified men forcibly took them.

Vice mayor’s account

Police said that Vice Mayor Mangudadatu has confirmed that his wife, sisters and bodyguards and a number of journalists were killed.

“They [victims] were all unarmed in going to the office of the Comelec [Commission on Elections]. They also had no security escorts except for the mediamen to cover the event. I did not assign security in order to avoid misconceptions during the filing,” the vice mayor told reporters.

Col. Romeo Brawner, the chief of the military’s Public Affairs Office, said in an initial report that the victims, who were on board a Toyota Hilux, a Hi-Ace and a Land Rover, were stopped at a checkpoint by more or less 100 armed men, allegedly led by Mayor Andal Ampatuan of Datu Unsay town.

Elections in the Philippines are traditionally bloody, especially in Southern Mindanao.

On May 14 next year, about 45.5 million Filipinos will be called to choose among 87,000 candidates vying for 17,000 national and local positions, which include the presidency and the vice presidency, the 268 seats in the House of Representatives and 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. The balloting will pick Mrs. Arroyo’s successor.
WITH REPORTS FROM ANGELO S. SAMONTE AND JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA