When I began this Blog in April of 2010 I strictly aimed to present an unemotional, almost sterile account of the Counterinsurgency in Mindanao. I felt, and certainly still feel, that there just isn't anyone or anything presenting the real picture about Mindanao. Most of the bloodshed here never gets reported and the iota that does is almost always chock full of embarassing errors. Yet, after a while I began to find some things just too disgusting to chronicle in that drab, unemotional monotone. Take the subject matter I am tackling in this entry; Most of the Philippines is very much aware that Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu, currently the Governor of Maguindanao Province, was the target of the mass murder generally referred to as the "Maguindanao Massacre."
Many know that on November 23rd, 2009, Mangudadatu sent his wife, a couple of sisters, a few supporters, a gaggle of attorneys and a slew of local media representatives to travel from the clan stronghold of Buluan, in Maguindanao Province, directly abutting the province of Sultan Kudarat, to the provincial capital, Shariff Aguak. The idea was to have his wife Genalin file his Certificate of Candidacy for the May of 2010 Election in which Mangudadatu hoped to win the Governor's seat in Maguindanao Province. It was believed that local tribal custom would keep his wife and sisters from being harmed. Of course it didn't work out that way in the end.
In the aftermath of that sad day, when Genalin Mangudadatu and 57 other victims lost their lives in brutal circumstances, Mangudadatu was portrayed, consciously or otherwise, as some kind of modern day Ghandi. He could do no wrong. The fact of the matter however is that Ebrahim "Toto" Mangudadatu had two open murder cases on the books that November day and by February he would have a third. Most of his close relatives were no better. In fact, brother Ibrahim "Diong" Mangudadatu, currently the Mayor of their hometown Buluan, caught an additional murder case this quarter though it is still in the preliminary stages due to his lack of co-operation despite his loudly proclaiming how he only wants his day in court.
On March 15th, 2011 Maguindanao Provincial Prosecutor Akilali Balt was in a black Isuzu pickup truck being driven by a member of his mother's clan, Dandan Balt Datu Dakula, who served both as his driver as well as his bodyguard. Heading home to Cotabato City they ran directly into a traffic jam on Sinsuat Avenue in Barangay Mother when a black and white Honda Wave motorcycle with two men riding tandem snaked through traffic to pull directly aside the small pickup truck. As both vehicles inched forward at the corner of Pansacala Street the rear passenger on the motorcycle shifted his body and raised a 45 caliber pistol shoulder level before firing through the window at Balt's face.
Struck in the lower right ear, right forearm, and lower right neck Balt was critically wounded. As his driver Dandan, himself moderately wounded by shards from the shattered window quickly jumped out of the truck and began running after the escaping motorcycle. As the shooters turned onto Pansacala Street Dandan stupidly fired 7 rounds from his own 45, oblivious to the danger posed in a bumper to bumper traffic jam. As luck would have it a rookie PNP (Philipine National Police) officer who had just joined the Cotabato City CPO, or City Police Office, gave chase. Finally catching up to the motorcyle when its driver dumped it on a deserted stretch of Pansacala Street and ran, he was able to take the shooter into custody. Under interrogation he revealed that his name was Acmad Makakena Maliga and that he had been hired directly by Mayor Ibrahim Mangudadatu.
Upon investigation it was learned that the driver was a man named Marcelino S. Raguinot who often uses the alternate identities James Tugaya and Noel Tugaya and had until that day been serving on Mayor Ibrahim Manudadatu's security detail. Until the present, July of 2011, he remains at large and has probably been killed by the Mangudadatus. The motorcycle it turns out was registered to Asma Samaon. Balt's daughter, Aminah Balt, contacted the Secreatary of the DOJ, or Department of Justice, Leila de Lima, to try and have both her father AND the suspect in custody, Mr.Maliga, transferred to secure facilities knowing all too well the danger posed by the Mangudadatus. On March 21st Secretary de Lima issued Departmental Order #200 which ordered Maliga transferred , pending concurrence by a court, to the NBI, or National Bureau of Investigation in their Manila Headquarters. Likewise, Prosecutor Balt, who had been transferred from a hospital in Cotabato City to Davao City, was to be transferred yet again to Cagayan del Oro City in Misamis Oriental Province.
Additionaly, Order #200 empaneled a three man investigatory task force led by Assistant State Prosecutor Vimar M.Barcellano
with Prosecutorial Attorneys
2) Mark Roland S.Estepa
and
3) Gerard E.Gaerlan
Secretary de Lima got her court concurrence courtesy of Cotabato City Regional Trial Court 14. Unfortunately, shortly afterward Mr.Balt slipped into a coma and on April 3rd, 2011 he passed away in his Cagayan del Oro City hospital bed, never having re-gained consciousness.
Clan patriarch Pax Mangudadatu, former Governor and Congressman in the adjacent province of Sultan Kudarat might not be facing any murder charges but has his own major issue to deal with as well. On July 21st, 2010, young son Datu Naga Mitra Mangudadatu was with a cousin, known only by the moniker "Puti," and a couple of bodyguards in Davao City. On the evening in question Naga had his bodyguard, known only as "Rambo," offer to buy a large bottle of beer for a party of three at a table across the room in a dormitory cafeteria on Padre Faura Street. The party, two young men and one young woman thanked "Rambo" and continued enjoying themselves.
Almost as soon as the bottle was polished off Naga invited himself to their table and began suggesting that the young ladt joing him for a night cap, offering that the cafeteria was much too hot but that his room wasn't nearly as cloying. Pressuring her, the woman said she felt had no choice but to comply and felt he would back off after she obliged him and had a drink or two. In Naga's room she felt akward and rose to leave several times, only to be pressured to sit back down. Finally, having had enough she forcefully stood up only to have Naga give his 2 body guards a pre-arranged signal after which they closed the blinds of the room, left, and locked the door. Naga then picked the young woman up and forced her onto his bed where he proceeded to repeatedly rape her. Having had enough he allowed his cousin Puti to re-enter the room and have his way with the young woman as well.
Later, after the woman was finally able to leave Naga's room, he and his party checked out of the dormitory. On August 2nd, after confessing her shame to her father, the young woman and a friend entered the Santa Ana CPO (Davao City City Police Office) and conferred with the Women and Childrens' Protection Desk Officer, SPO2 Ellen Templa who explained that since the complaint had been filed more than 36 hours after the rape, a warrant would be needed to arrest her attackers. To help obtain the warrant the young woman was advised to go to a hospital and get a full examination. With the examination corroborating the woman's accusation the City Prosecutor took her Affadavit and subpoened Naga and "Puti." With no reply or Counter-Affadavit the case moved forward. On February 21st, 2011 Davao City Regional Trial Couty 16, Judge Emmanuel Carpio, swore out an arrest warrant not only for the two rapists but for both bodyguards as well, the so called "Rambo," and the second guard, March C. Tadio. Unfortunately though Naga, whose address is in Barangay Tamnag, in the municipality of Lutayan in Sultan Kudarat Province, has gone underground and is having his family protect him. His father Pax though had the audacity to say, "We Muslims are law abiding citizens," as if a Muslim could never rape a woman. He also vowed to turn his son in IF he is found guilty. The arrogance is amazing, especially in light of the Philippine Justice System which doesn't try defendants in absentia. In other words, how can his son be found guilty IF he never allows a court to try him?. A Sheriff spent weeks trying to serve both the subpoena and now the warrant but Pax has prevented it. Thank God the ARMM Election was scrubbed. Pax had tendered his candidadcy in the race for the ARMM, or Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Governor's seat. The island does NOT need a man like that as the Governor of anything.
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