The Philippine Online Chronicles

Despite mounting calls for the arrest of the perpetrators of the Maguindanao Massacre which left around 50 people dead, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde has emphasized the need for a case to be built against the suspects.

"We have due process to be observed also, so let us allow the investigators on the ground to come up with [a case] through their investigation," he said, in response to National Union of Journalists (NUJP’s) Sonny Fernandez who called for the relief of duty of primary suspect Mayor Datu Andal "Unsay" Ampatuan Jr.

Four survivors of the massacre have pointed to the Ampatuan clan as being behind the atrocity. According to Remonde however, arrests will only occur when sufficient evidence has been found linking Ampatuan to the massacre.

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson Leila de Lima has commented on the “unusual treatment” of Ampatuan Jr. in the case, and the “less than decisive” police action in the investigation.

“What is the progress or the status of the manhunt? Who are they running after and where? These are the questions that have yet to be answered [by the police],” she said.

She added that in a usual criminal case, the suspect should already have been called in for questioning. It was odd, she noted, that Jesus Dureza, Presidential Adviser on Mindanao Affairs, met up with the Ampatuans rather than inviting them to the police precinct to explain their side.

Call for arrest

The Arroyo administration has received numerous calls for action from different sectors.

“The government should [take] unequivocal and strong [steps] against the perpetrators. [Ampatuan] must be arrested because he has something to do with this. He must also face an impartial investigation,” said former defense secretary and Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro.

From the House of Representatives, Speaker Prospero Nograles also called for the Palace to “drop all political considerations” in investigating the crime.

Neither has the massacre escaped the attention of the United Nations (UN), which issued a statement from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemning the “heinous crime.”

“The Secretary General extends heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and hopes that no effort will be spared to bring justice and to hold the perpetrators accountable,” the UN statement said.