Arroyo not behind junking of raps vs 2 Ampatuans — Palace

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had nothing to do with the dropping of multiple murder charges against two members of the powerful Ampatuan clan implicated in last year’s massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao province, Malacañang said on Sunday. Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said it is unfair to even insinuate that President Arroyo would interfere in the legal proceedings even if the accused family had once been her strong allies who helped ensure her victory in the 2004 elections. “However we may feel about this decision by the Department of Justice, let us confine any debate to questions of law and fact, and let us reject baseless and inflammatory speculations," he said. On Friday, the DOJ under acting Justice secretary Alberto Agra ordered the removal of Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan from the charge list, saying there was no strong evidence to prove that the two had conspired with other family members in plotting the gruesome massacre. Fifty-seven people, including members of the rival Mangudadatu clan and some 30 accompanying journalists, were gunned down in Ampatuan town last November 23 in what was considered as one of the most heinous cases of political violence in the country. Zaldy was governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) while Akmad was the vice governor of Maguindanao before they were stripped of their posts in connection with the carnage.

Respect decision Olivar said the public should respect the DOJ’s decision. “People may disagree with [the decision] for whatever reasons, pero ito ay bahagi ng magiging patuloy na pagtulak ng paglilitis na ito (But this is part of the justice system). So let us, if there are differences, presume good faith on each other’s part, let us presume everybody is committed to the same pursuit of justice," he said. He also appealed to the administration’s critics and the political opposition to stop using the issue in their campaign for the May 10 elections. “Campaign politics, no less than the sensitivities of the victims’ bereaved families, should not be raked up in this tragic affair." Olivar said everyone wants justice for the victims, including the President. He added that the international community was monitoring developments in the case and it is unthinkable for President Arroyo to intervene in such a “sensitive" issue. "I don’t see any reason why we should lose hope that the massacre victims will get justice. The whole world is watching. Rest assured that justice will be served at the soonest possible time," he said in Filipino. Despite the exoneration of the two Ampatuans, the multiple charges remained against clan patriarch and former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his son Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. — KBK/NPA, GMANews.TV