The Philippine Online Chronicles

Manila Bulletin reported that police officer Hernani Decipulo commited suicide by jumping off the fourth floor of the detention center where he was confined in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

Decipulo was one of almost 200 suspects facing charges of murdering 57 people in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre. An Inquirer report said that he was turned into a state witness and was scheduled to testify against members of the Ampatuan clan who were accused of masterminding the incident.

Decipulo, 38, was said to have been entertaining his wife in the rooftop visitor's area of the Quezon City Jail Annex when he said “Mauuna na ako sa iyo (I'll go ahead).” He then stood up, walked to the edge of the roof, and jumped off.

According to Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) director Rosendo Dial, Decipulo was rushed to the nearby Dr. J. Sabili Hospital but was declared dead on arrival due to head and body injuries.

The prosecution requested for an investigation on the incident. According to lawyer Nena Santos, counsel of Maguindanao governor Esmael Mangudadatu, their camp is not ruling out the possibility of foul play.

“There are so many questions (regarding the suicide) like why is the rooftop open? Where is the visitors’ area located? Why there are no jail guards around? If it is true that it is a suicide then they should ask his wife if he is truly depressed or ask his cell mate and friends about his state of health prior to his death,” Santos said.

Jail warden and officer-in-charge Senior Inspector John Conrad Basilio, however, said that the security in the prison was tight when Decipulo killed himself. “However, he can find ways to do his plan if he is really desperate to execute it no matter what security measures we may have in place,” he said.

2 years since massacre

The Maguindanao massacre happened on 23 November 2009 when a group of armed men stopped the convoy of Mangudadatu's wife Genalyn. She was en route to the local office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to file the candidacy of her husband for the gubernatorial post of Maguindanao. She was with some family members, aides, lawyers and local journalists who were invited to cover the event.

In a text message sent to her husband before she was killed, Genalyn identified the group who blocked them as men of then Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. who was also present during that time. Ampatuan Jr. is the son of then-incumbent Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr.

All in all, 57 bodies — including at least 32 media practitioners —  were found dead in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao. Medical reports show that at least five women were raped before being killed. Some of the victims were even beheaded.

The Committee to Protect Journalists dubbed the incident as the single deadliest event for journalists in the history of the world. International Federation of Journalists, meanwhile, tagged the Philippines as the worst country for journalists in 2009 because of what happened.

Last month, the daughter of a supposed 58th victim filed another case before the Department of Justice. Ma. Reynafe Momay-Castillo, daughter of photojournalist Reynaldo Momay, asked the agency to conduct an investigation and officially include her father as the 58th victim of the tragedy. Momay's remains were not found at the massacre site.

Recently, an employee of the Maguindanao provincial government testified before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court presided over by Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes. Then provincial property custodian Entang Pinagayao said that the backhoe found in the massacre site was the property of the provincial government.

To date, only 96 out of almost 200 suspects of the massacre have been apprehended. Aside from Ampatuan Sr. and Ampatuan Jr., other members of the clan including former Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Zaldy Ampatuan are also in custody of the Philippine National Police.

As of last month, 65 of the arrested suspects have been arraigned. The trial is expected to last for years given the number of respondents and the estimated 300 witnesses that the prosecution plans to summon before the court.