After a barrage of indictments in connection with the November 23 Maguindanao massacre, the government has moved to freeze the assets of the notorious Ampatuan clan amid questions over how its members have amassed so much wealth during their reign in the country’s second poorest province.

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) was looking into the assets of the family, pointing out that a freeze order might be “forthcoming” once evidence of money laundering against the Ampatuans is established.

“We’re just waiting for the AMLC to do that,” Devanadera told reporters on Monday.

Money laundering is a crime wherein proceeds of an unlawful activity are transacted, making them appear to have come from legitimate sources.

Devanadera said an automatic freeze of the Ampatuans’ assets was not covered by Presidential Proclamation No. 1959, which placed Maguindanao under martial law since December 4.

Officials said the palatial homes of the Ampatuans in Davao City and their mansions in Maguindanao province indicate that they are living beyond their visible means of income, which goes against the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

So far, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said there was still no evidence showing that the Ampatuans had used money intended for development programs in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to finance their private armies.

“That remains to be seen that is why (an) audit will be undertaken to see whether the funds sent to the region were spent for the purposes they were intended for,” Puno said in a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of the Philippines.

The ARMM, consisting of Marawi City and the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, has a budget of P10 billion this year and about the same amount in 2008.

Zaldy Uy Ampatuan, son of former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., is the ARMM governor.

Ampatuan Sr., the ARMM governor and several other relatives have been placed under government custody a day after Maguindanao was placed under martial law Friday night.

His namesake son, Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Jr., has been detained earlier in Manila and charged with multiple murder charges as principal suspect in the massacre of at least 57 people, including dozens of journalists.

Puno said he had asked the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to form “special groups” to initially review how funds sent for ARMM development were spent.

“The required audit is preliminarily of ARMM,” Puno said. “Subsequently, a similar audit will be requested perhaps, in the province of Maguindanao.”

As this developed, ARMM Vice Governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong has replaced Governor Zaldy Uy.

Sources from the office of Adiong, who is also concurrent DILG regional secretary, said they were waiting for an official designation of their boss to be able to perform functions without possible complications or resistance from incumbent ARMM officials.

“There is confusion among officials and employees in various departments and offices in ARMM, especially in the ORG (office of the regional governor). I think an official designation of Vice Governor Adiong is necessary," one of his staff told the Bulletin last Tuesday.

Police and military authorities for their part continued a massive hunt against a ranking police officer in Sultan Kudarat whom authorities tagged as the keeper of dozens of firearms used in the massacre.

Chief Supt. Felicisimo Khu, chief of the police-led anti-crime Task Force 12 Alpha, said his intelligence operatives have sighted Senior Inspector Saudi Mokamad in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat last Sunday.

Mokamad, who has been absent without official leave, is reportedly related to big Moro clans in the adjoining towns of Lebak and Kalamansig, both in Sultan Kudarat.

Mokamad, chief of 1507th Maguindanao police mobile group, is an “adopted brother” of detained Mayor Ampatuan Jr.

Mokamad was last seen leaving Shariff Aguak a day after the massacre on board a vehicle loaded with sacks believed to contain some of the rifles used by the gunmen, Khu said.

Officials however admitted that efforts to disarm the gun-loving people of Maguindanao is far from over as they admitted that the firearms and ammunition seized in the past few days in the province only represent 20 percent of the armory of the Ampatuan clan alone.

While there were nearly 900 handguns and high-powered firearms confiscated by joint police and military operatives, the bulk of them dug up last week some 300 meters away from the house of Ampatuan, Sr. in Shariff Aguak town, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa said they have yet to account for more.

Another issue that should be looked at, he said, is the hiring of Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO) volunteers by local chief executives due to reports that some volunteer fighters have enlisted in exchange for the firearms and ammunition that would be issued to them.

Police have so far filed rebellion complaints against 24 people, including seven members of the Ampatuan clan, who were all arrested since the declaration of martial law.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina said that the complaint was forwarded by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Central Mindanao during the inquest proceedings on Monday night based on the result of the investigation and evidence obtained at the course of the probe.

“It was already filed last night (Monday night) before a DOJ (Department of Justice) panel in 6th Infantry Division (headquarters in Maguindanao),” said Espina.

Included in the complaint sheet were Ampatuan, Sr., ARMM Governor Zaldy Uy, Maguindanao Vice Governor Akmad Tato Ampatuan, Shariff Aguak Mayor Anwar Ampatuan, acting Maguindanao Governor Sajid Ampatuan, and CVO members Abdullah Kaliangat Ampatuan, and Goldo Ampatuan.

The five Ampatuan officials were referred to as leaders of the rebellion.

Police said the crime of rebellion was committed right after Ampatuan, Jr. was arrested and flown to Manila for detention.

The places of commission of the crime, it added, were in the towns of Shariff Aguak, Datu Unsay, Datu Salibo, Mamasapano, Datu Saudi Ampatuan and other places in Maguindanao.

Military authorities for their part were more confident that they can find more hidden firearms in Maguindanao because more people are starting to cooperate.

Maj Gen. Anthony Alcantara, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, said almost all their earlier finds were based on the information given by the people of Shariff Aguak and nearby municipalities.

In a related development, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front operating in central Mindanao vowed to deny sanctuary in any of their controlled territories to CVO members linked to the massacre.

“The prospect of CVOs fleeing to MILF territories is not possible at this time because we have had clashes with them in Shariff Aguak town and in neighboring areas,” MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said. (With a report from Elena L. Aben)