A local official revealed on Thursday the conspiracy behind the killings of 57 civilians and media workers on Novemberr 23 last year as he stressed that the murders were well-planned, on the second day of trial in Camp Crame, Quezon City, of what is now known as the Maguindanao massacre.

Rasul Sangki, vice mayor of Ampatuan, Maguindanao, and the second witness of the prosecution, said that the killings appeared to have the blessing of the Ampatuan patriarch, former provincial governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr., based on conversation he heard between the latter and his son, massacre principal suspect Andal Ampatuan, Jr.

“He (Andal Jr.) said ‘Ama, andito na sila’ (Father, they’re here),” was what Sangki claimed to have heard when he was invited to board Andal, Jr.’s vehicle on the way to the massacre site in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, in Ampatuan on November 23.

For which Andal Sr. reportedly said over the radio: “Alam mo na gagawin (You know what to do).”

Thursday’s hearing at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame started at 8:30 a.m., with lawyer Harry Roque asking why the remaining information on the murder cases has not yet reached the sala of Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes. The judge said it will arrive soon.

Sangki was then presented by the prosecution panel as the second witness in the opposition to the motion for bail of the defense panel headed by Siegfried Fortun for his client, Andal Jr.

During the direct examination led by State Prosecutor Leo Dacera, Sangki said he had learned of the plan as early as November 20 when Andal Jr. phoned him while he was attending the convention of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD in Manila.

Andal Jr. reportedly told him that he positioned some of his troops in his turf in Ampatuan town to conduct an ambuscade if Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu files his certificate of candidacy for governor of Maguindanao.

As the plan did not push through on Friday since the Mangudadatus delayed the filing, the plan was carried out on November 23, a Monday. Sangki said he was about to meet the Sangguniang Bayan council when one of his relatives arrived and asked him to meet Andal Jr. at the crossing of Barangay Saniag in Ampatuan town.

Accompanied by six other people, including at least two members of the town council, Sangki said he proceeded to the area where he met Andal Jr. and his armed men.

While having their snacks in the area, Sangki claimed to have heard a man reporting to Andal Jr. the location of the Mangudadatu convoy. He later identified the man reporting to Andal Jr. as Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay, erstwhile deputy commander of the Maguindanao Police.

Sangki said Dicay radioed Andal Jr. at least three times; the last one was when he reported that the convoy was already intercepted at a police checkpoint.

“He replied and gave order to block the convoy… he also ordered to look for the file (certificate of candidacy) and to close Saniag crossing, using a Sangoku (a large truck mounted with two 50 calibers and two 30 calibers),” Sangki told the court.

They then proceeded to the checkpoint area where Sangki said he saw Dicay pointing his firearm at the mediamen and civilians who were then slumped on the ground.

Sangki’s testimony refuted the claim of Dicay that the victims were snatched from them at the checkpoint and that they were threatened should they dare intervene.

As soon as they arrived in the checkpoint area, Andal Jr. reportedly checked the faces of the victims and moments later, Sangki said, he saw the latter dragging the wife of Esmael Mangudadatu and another female relative to a black Toyota Hi-Lux.

Sangki added that he had tried to talk to Andal Jr. and convince him that he should leave but the latter insisted that he accompany him to the massacre site.  He said he was even invited to board Andal’s car, which he did.

When they arrived at the massacre site, Sangki narrated that one of the mediamen identified as Jimmy Palac tried to save himself by telling Andal Jr.: “Datu, si Jimmy 'to.”

But his pleadings fell on deaf ears.

“The women were screaming, others were asking for mercy,” Sangki narrated to the court.

Palac was then joined by Bai Eden Mangudadatu and Bai Genalyn Mangudadatu, wife of Esmael Mangudadatu, and a few seconds later, Sangki said Andal Jr. shot them using a baby armalite with an M203 grenade launcher attached to it.

The other victims were taken out of the vehicles and were shot by Datu Kanor Ampatuan, Bahnarin Ampatuan, and at least two others using an M16 rifle, a K-3 Ultimax, and an AK-47, he said.

“After that he (Andal Jr.) ordered me to leave to tell the others that they did not hear or see anything,” said Sangki.

It was when he was about to leave, he told the court, that he spotted the backhoe arriving.

“Some of the women were still alive when I left, they were inside a van. I didn’t know what happened to them because I was ordered to leave,” said Sangki.

The direct examination went on for more than three hours, and then came Fortun for the cross examination.

In assailing Sangki’s credibility, Fortun battered him with questions that were meant to establish that he is in fact a relative of the Mangudadatus since his aunt is married to Sultan Kudarat Governor Pax Mangudadatu.

Sangki admitted to it, as well as the fact that some of his relatives are also holding elective posts in some areas in Maguindanao.

Fortun then went on the loopholes on Sangki’s written testimony, starting off with establishing that the latter signed the testimony written in English and that it was done inside the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters with lawyer Ric Diaz, the chief of the Counter-Terrorism Unit, who also supervises the detention security of his client.

Fortun concentrated much of his cross examination on the fact that Sangki, although he had already learned of the planned ambush as early as November 20, did nothing to prevent the massacre.

The lawyer said that as an elective official, his duty is to enforce law and order and that includes a grisly killing that would occur within his town turf in Ampatuan town.

“...you did nothing, instead you drank Coke,” said Fortun, referring to the earlier statement of Sangki that he ate snacks served by Andal Jr.’s men and drank Coke while waiting for the Mangudadatu convoy to arrive.

Fortun stressed that Sangki did not even bother to report the incident to proper authorities before and after the commission of the massacre and after the crackdown on Ampatuan clan, adding that the official only executed the affidavit on December 11, or 18 days after the massacre.