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E-mailThe Arroyo government is partly to blame for the poll-related massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao on November 23, a Brussel-based conflict-prevention group reported on Monday.
According to the 18-page report of the International Crisis Group (ICG), an independent, non-government, non-profit organization committed to the prevention and resolution of conflicts, “Manila's deliberate nurturing of a ruthless warlord in exchange for votes. . . most notably by [President Gloria Macapagal] Arroyo” had allowed the Ampatuans “to amass great wealth and unchecked power, including the possession of a private arsenal with mortars, rocket launchers and state-of-the-art assault rifles.”
The Ampatuan clan, once a close political ally of Arroyo, was said to have ensured a huge sweep of votes in Central Mindanao for her presidential bid in 2004.
The group further pointed out that the massacre “was not the inevitable result of historic hatreds” but the government's indulgence of Andal Ampatuan Sr.'s greed and ambition until he rose to despotism in the late 1990s from a small-time politico. Failure to control audits of central and local budget allocations, relaxed weapon importation, purchasing and circulation, and a thoroughly dysfunctional legal system were among the factors cited by ICG.
Andal Ampatuan Jr., who allegedly gave the coup de grâce, was arrested days after the mass slaughter, followed by Arroyo's declaration of martial law. More members of the Ampatuan clan were taken into custody and heavy firearms were recovered. After eight days, the military rule was lifted. However, the ICG expressed apprehension whether the series of arrests and charges can actually move up to trial and conviction of the felons.
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