DAVAO BRACES FOR MAGUINDANAO 'WAR' SPILLOVER
DAVAO CITY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009 (STAR) By Edith Regalado – Residents here have expressed fear that the violence in Maguindanao that resulted in the gruesome killing last Monday of more than 40 people would spill over to this city since the families of the feuding Ampatuan and Mangudadatu clans have settled here.Relatives of the Ampatuan patriarch, Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., have established residence in several posh subdivisions while with the Mangundadatus have also built houses in several high-end villages in this city.
Children of the Ampatuan and Mangudadatu families have been studying in leading schools in Davao for the past years.
The killing of 45 people, including the wife of Vice Mayor Ibrahim “Toto” Mangudadatu of Buluan, Maguindanao and two of his sisters, two female lawyers and 13 journalists who covered the supposed filing of certificate of candidacy has drawn widespread outrage.
The Mangudadatus have blamed the Ampatuans for the incident, specifically Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Datu Unsay, Maguindanao as one of the leaders of 100 armed men who kidnapped Mangudadatu’s supporters.
Residents in Davao fear that violence would escalate when the Mangudadatu clan retaliates and attacks the members of the Ampatuan clan to revive the rido or clan war.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that both the military-led Task Force Davao and the Davao City police were ordered to secure the city following the outbreak of violence in Maguindanao.
Duterte met with top military and police officials last Monday night and also appealed to the Ampatuans and Mangudadatus to spare the city from the violence in Maguindanao.
“I hope Davao City will be spared of the violence. We will extend the necessary assistance to both families,” he said, adding that he would not take sides or favor one over the other.
Duterte, who stressed that he does not know the dynamics of the politics in Maguindanao, said the two rival clans have already sought assistance from him for protection of the members of their respective families.
“We will protect both parties without favor. Ours is not to favor one over the other. We will stay neutral. We are not taking sides. Hindi tayo kasali sa away (We are not involved in their fight),” Duterte said.
He said no one in the two rival families would be molested, harmed or killed.
Duterte pointed out that in staying neutral, he will also make sure that the law is fully enforced and that the two warring factions should also ensure that they follow the law while in the city.
“My only option is to enforce the law. To enforce what is legal. My only standard is the law. If anyone of them starts any violence, then the law enforcers would be after you,” Duterte said.
The mayor explained that the two parties should follow the law and refrain from carrying high-powered firearms in the city. He said the security details of the two parties must make sure that they submit themselves to the checkpoints for the inspection of their firearms.
Meanwhile, police and military personnel were immediately deployed in Davao City late Monday evening following the directives of Duterte in the emergency meeting with top officials.
Ramon Edison Batacan, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) immediate past governor for Eastern Mindanao, described the Maguindanao massacre as a dastardly act committed not only against the legal profession but also the entire humanity, especially since two of the victims were lady lawyers who were with the Mangudadatus.
“It reflects on the inability of government to enforce the laws in the area whose leaders are known supporters of the administration,” Batacan said.
Troops from the anti-terror group Task Force Davao were spotted in and around the multiple houses of the Ampatuans and Mangudadatus here in Davao City, conducting checkpoints in the streets surrounding these areas.
“After the meeting (Monday night), I talked to the families involved. I told them about the orders of Mayor Duterte,” Col. Oscar Lactao, Task Force Davao chief, said in an interview shortly before midnight Monday.
Although none of the patriarchs of the two families were present, Lactao was able to discuss the details of the orders of the mayor with the children and grandchildren of the Ampatuans. The Task Force Davao chief also talked to a member of the Mangudadatus at an undisclosed location.
US lawmakers concerned over Davao killings By Jess Diaz (The Philippine Star) Updated November 16, 2009 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines – American lawmakers have expressed concern over scores of unsolved killings in Davao City that have been perpetrated reportedly by a death squad enjoying protection from local authorities.
Special mention has been made of the existence of such a group in Resolution 3081 that the United States House of Representatives has approved.
The resolution is entitled, “An Act making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010, and for other purposes.”
It allocates funds for foreign governments, programs and non-government organizations receiving assistance from the US.
A counterpart resolution is reportedly pending in the US Senate.
Under the House version, the Philippines would receive in 2010 military assistance “not to exceed $30,000,000… of which $2,000,000 may not be obligated” until the Secretary of State reports in writing to the committees on appropriation of the US Congress Philippine compliance on human rights-related conditions.
The first condition urges the Philippine government to take steps to carry out the recommendations of United States human rights official Philip Alston, who has blamed unsolved political killings on rogue elements of the military.
US lawmakers want an assurance that there would be “prosecutions and convictions for extrajudicial executions” and that the government is “addressing allegations of a death squad in Davao City.”
Speaker Prospero Nograles, who was in Washington two weeks ago for meetings with his counterpart, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said he was ashamed to hear that the release of $2 million in military aid was tied in part to the solution of unsolved killings in his city.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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