MANILA - A Lakas-Kampi-CMD official on Wednesday expressed fear of more defections from the ruling party because of the involvement of the Ampatuan clan in the election-related massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao province.

"Hindi ko pini-pinpoint ang mga Ampatuan (I'm not pinpointing the Ampatuans). What I'm trying to say is anybody involved in a crime shouldn't be in the party," Palawan 1st District Rep. Antonio Alvarez, a Lakas-Kampi-CMD spokesman, said.

Alvarez added: "Very heinous thing they did. It is not good for the party to have someone like that."

Before the massacre of at least 50 people, including the wife of Buluan Vice-Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu, a member of a rival clan of the Ampatuans, the Lakas-Kampi-CMD has been suffering from major defections.

The latest major defection was Misamis Gov. Loreto Ocampos, a member of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD's national executive committee and president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines.

Ocampos has joined the Liberal Party, which is supporting the presidential campaign of Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

There were reports that some members of the ruling party have started moving for the expulsion of the Ampatuan clan because of its member's involvement in the massacre.

Alvarez said he was not aware of such a move.

There were also reports that the Lakas-Kampi-CMD were trying to fix the political rift between the Ampatuans and the Mangudadatus before the massacre happened.

Police have said that based on initial reports from the investigating team, the group of gunmen that ambushed the Mangudadatus' convoy was led by Datu Unsay Mayor Andal "Unsay" Ampatuan Jr., who is reportedly being groomed by his family as the next governor of Maguindanao.

Mangudadatu's wife and more than 40 supporters were supposed to file the certificate of candidacy for governor on his behalf when they were ambushed by the gunmen.

Ampatuan Jr. allegedly wanted top stop the filing of COC.

Mangudadatu has claimed that his wife identified Ampatuan Jr. as one of their attackers before she was killed. There were also indications that his wife was raped.

Joining LP

Liberal Party (LP) national chairman Franklin Drilon said in a statement on Wednesday that Mangudadatu was supposed to resign from the Lakas-Kampi-CMD and join their party before the massacre happened.

"It's unfortunate that this incident happened when Vice Mayor Toto Mangudadatu was about to join the Liberal Party. We were in the process of formalizing his entry to the party as our gubernatorial candidate in Maguindanao," Drilon said.

He said Mangudadatu was supposed to take his oath over the weekend and his application was being processed by the LP's local chapter in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Drilon, LP's national chairman and senatorial candidate, said he personally spoke with Mangudadatu last Friday. He said the vice-mayor "expressed his desire to join the LP and run against Andal Ampatuan Jr., mayor

The LP national chairman said he spoke to Mangudadatu last Friday and the vice-mayor has expressed his desire to join the LP and run against Ampatuan Jr.

Mangudadatu said in interviews on Tuesday that he asked his wife to file his COC on his behalf as he was busy trying courting for a national party to support his gubernatorial bid.

Drilon said the LP is still willing to take him in if he is really determined to run for governor of the troubled province. With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News