Security forces have pinpointed another mass grave of several people who were believed to have also fallen prey on the alleged ruthlessness of the Ampatuan family when the powerful clan was still lording over Maguindanao.

Senior Superintendent Alex Lineses, acting chief of the Maguindanao Police, said they immediately secured the alleged mass gravesite located at the town proper of Datu Hoffer in Maguindanao as soon as they received the information.

“We have already secured the area. We are just waiting for the go signal from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for us to start the digging,” said Lineses in a phone interview.

Lineses said they have yet to identify how many bodies were buried in the area. Lineses added that the killings may have occurred as far as 2001.

He added that a lot of civilians have already tipped them about the presence of the mass grave in Datu Hoffer following the downfall of the Ampatuan clan after the infamous November 23 massacre in Ampatuan town wherein 57 people, 32 of them are journalists, were brutally riddled with bullets.

The alleged mastermind of the November 23 massacre last year, was immediately taken into custody and charged, and it was that incident that prompted the other members of the clan to allegedly stage a botched rebellion.

“The mass grave site in Datu Hoffer was located by some civilians who were interviewed by the CHR. We are ready for the digging, we are just waiting for the order to start,” he said.

In an interview last month, CHR Commissioner Leila de Lima revealed that they have already secured at least two people who witnessed two separate cases of mass killings several years ago.

De Lima said the two have started to talk when they were able to secure them and their families.

Whether or not a mass grave site indeed exists in Datu Hoffer would be find out once the digging starts, said Lineses.

Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen allegedly set on fire at least seven houses in Datu Hoffer on Wednesday night.

Lineses said they are still investigating to identify the perpetrators. He added that there were no reported casualties during the incident.