At least seven witnesses have reportedly surfaced to back up the multiple murder complaint filed Thursday before the Department of Justice (DoJ) against Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao who was tagged as principal suspect in the massacre of at least 57 people in the outskirts of Ampatuan town last Monday.

Also on Friday, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said the Department of Justice (DoJ) will file seven counts of murder against Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. on Tuesday before the Cotabato City Regional Trial Court.

The justice secretary told reporters that evidence gathered by their prosecutors and investigators against Ampatuan “were strong.”

Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu said three more witnesses have come out to corroborate the statements of the alleged survivors of the November 23 carnage in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

Mangudadatu had earlier said the survivors confirmed the direct involvement of the young Ampatuan in the killing of at least 17 journalists, two lawyers, several civilians, and over a dozen members of the Mangudadatu family that included his wife Genalyn, sister Bai Farina, and sister-in-law Vice Mayor Eden of Mangudadatu town.

Mayor Ampatuan, who is detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) jail in Manila, turned himself in to Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Affairs Jesus Dureza and was subjected to inquest proceeding in General Santos City Thursday afternoon.

Secretary Devanadera, who personally facilitated the proceedings, gave Ampatuan Jr., who was accompanied by his lawyer Siegfred Fortun, at least 36 hours to answer the multiple murder charges against him.

“We’ll not stop until we get proper justice for all the victims and we have witnesses that could prove the involvement (of the Ampatuans) in that inhuman act,” Mangudadatu said.

Sources said the witnesses, who were reportedly being secured by the Vice Mayor’s camp, have already given their statements to investigators from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Former defense chief and now Lakas-Kampi presidential bet Gilbert Teodoro, who offered to provide protection for the witnesses, was scheduled to meet with them at an undisclosed place in General Santos City on Friday.

A group of armed men seized and later killed members of the Mangudadatu family, their lawyers and a group of journalists who were on their way to file the certificate of candidacy for governor of Vice Mayor Mangudadatu at the Commission on Elections provincial office in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, last Monday morning.

The suspects initially stopped the convoy in Barangay Saniag at around 9 a.m. and brought them at gunpoint to the vicinity of Barangays Salman and Malating, which is about 10 kilometers from the national highway.

Last Tuesday, joint police, Army and civilian search and retrieval teams initially found at least 22 bodies scattered at a hilly portion of Sitio Masalay in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, and later retrieved 24 more remains at a shallow grave in the area.

At least 11 more bodies were retrieved last Wednesday from a second grave, where three vehicles were also dumped.

Secretary Devanadera said state prosecutors have gathered more than 20 affidavits from witnesses to back allegations that Ampatuan himself led about 100 armed men in the slaughter.

"We have a strong case against him. The evidence consists of the affidavits of the witnesses and some photos of the conditions of the bodies which you wouldn't think a human is capable of doing," Devanadera said.

Ampatuan also could not post bail because the multiple murder charge that he is facing is a non-bailable crime.

Devanadera said the most important evidence that DOJ prosecutors have against Ampatuan is the testimony of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu who talked to his wife on a cellphone before the convoy which was supposed to file his bid for governor of the province was waylaid.

Mangudadatu's wife, who was among the 57 people killed in the massacre, called her husband and told him that Ampatuan himself was directing the 100 armed men who stopped their convoy.

State prosecutors failed to comply with their self-imposed deadline of 36 hours, which ends on early Saturday, to file charges against Ampatuan, but Devanadera said this was because it was a holiday in Mindanao last Friday.

Ampatuan has denied the allegations and blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the massacre.

Some of the bodies were also claimed to have been dismembered, and Devanadera said all the women killed in the massacre had their pants undone, suggesting that they may have been raped before they were killed. She said some of the women were shot in their genitals.

Devanadera said the anonymous source of Islamic network Al-Jazeera television, who revealed that Ampatuan ordered to kill everybody to hide all evidence of the massacre, corroborated the testimonies of the DoJ's witnesses.

"Napakinggan ko siya. Ang statements niya parehong pareho sa statement ng isa naming hawak. Nakamaskara siya di ko alam kung siya yan pero pareho," she said.

MILF denies involvement in Maguindanao massacre
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) denied the allegations made by Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. that an MILF group under Commander Ameril Ombra Cato was responsible for the Maguindanao massacre.

MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu said Ampatuan’s allegation “is a clear attempt to divert the issue and to condition the minds of the people.”

Kabalu disclosed in an interview with ANC that the locals already knew that a massacre will take place, days before the actual slay. But it was not clear as to which group Kabalu was referring to.

The MILF spokesperson also stated that they will offer assistance in the investigation if the government asks for their help.

The government says that they are not limiting the investigation to Mayor Ampatuan but are also looking at other people who are possibly involved in the crime.

President Arroyo has issued an order to mobilize all the resources to uncover the truth and punish all those who are responsible for this heinous crime. (Mitch Arceo)

Gibo escorts Toto in filing his CoC
Undeterred by death threats to Buluan Vice-Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. flew to Maguindanao and escorted the vice mayor in the filing yesterday his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for governor at the Commission of Elections (Comelec) office in Shariff Aguak.

Saranggani Gov. Rene Miguel Dominguez, also Lakas president, said that Teodoro’s act of personally escorting Mangudadatu showed Gibo’s commitment to peaceful and honest elections in Maguindanao.

“Despite Toto Mangudadatu being the object of death threats and general insecurity in the area, Secretary Teodoro’s decision to escort the vice mayor is a strong message to the warring political clans that any form of violence will not be tolerated by the Lakas-Kampi-CMD leadership this coming elections,” Dominguez said.

On top of personally escorting Mangudadatu, Teodoro also personally attested to the vice mayor’s filing of his COC.

Regardless of whichever political party Mangudadatu would align himself afterwards, Teodoro would extend all possible assistance to the Buluan vice-mayor to ensure that justice would be served to his wife and other victims of the massacre, Dominguez said.

“This is not about party lines or affiliations anymore. Secretary Teodoro has expressed his commitment to Vice-Mayor Mangudadatu that he would extend all possible help or assistance to ensure that justice would be served,” he said.