Andal Jr.: 'Father, they are here'
Andal Sr.: 'You know what you must do'

MANILA, Philippines - Jimmy Cabillo, a reporter of the Midland Review was one of the 30 journalists killed on November 23. At past 10 in the morning of that horrible day, he was on his knees begging for his life.

He told Datu Unsay, the principal accused in the Maguindanao massacre, “Ako ito Datu. Maawa ka. Si Pal-ak ito Datu. Wag Datu. (It’s me Datu. Please have mercy. This is Pal-ak Datu. Please don’t Datu.)”

Unsay knew Jimmy. He was a familiar face having covered Maguindanao in the past.

It didn’t matter.

Datu Unsay unloaded his firearm into Jimmy, laughing as he did it.

This is just one of the horrifying details of the massacre on November 23 that is contained in an affidavit of a witness who has come forward to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The witness is a distant relative of the Ampatuans, who says he was there when the mass murder happened.

Phone call from Andal Jr.

The witness--who is a local official in Maguindanao-- begins his story on November 19 when he was in Manila attending a political conference. That day, he received a phone call from Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr, whom he calls Datu Unsay.

“He already called me that he would establish and deploy his forces in Ampatuan,” the witness says.

At the time, he wasn’t sure exactly what he intended, but just the same, he returned to Maguindanao the next day. After all, Unsay wasn’t a man you disobeyed.

”Datu Unsay met my driver and gave my driver his number and told the latter that I should call him. I called him up and we had a meeting around 3:30 in the afternoon. I was asked by Datu Unsay if my men were ready. He instructed me to secure the detachment fronting the municipal hall of Ampatuan, Maguindanao. It was actually a regular PNP [Philippine National Police] checkpoint which has long been established. He told me that in case something not good will happen I have to protect my municipality,” the witness says.

The official began to get nervous, but he says he still wasn’t sure exactly what was being planned.

Still, he felt he had no choice but to comply. “Datu Unsay is a powerful person and can do anything to me. He was already acting like a governor.”

Couldn't refuse an order

On the day of the massacre, the official was about to convene a Sangguniang Bayan meeting when he was summoned by Ampatuan.

The witness abandoned his meeting ”as a sign of respect and aside from the fact that I cannot refuse an order, especially a strong invitation from any of the Ampatuans." He adds he had already in mind that "Datu Unsay is our incoming Governor.”

The local official arrived at the meeting place in a hut at Crossing Saniag along the national highway at 9 in the morning.

“I saw several men around us in police uniform called 'commo green,' and some of them appeared to be auxiliary police numbering approximately 50 fully armed men," the official says. "And several vehicles lined up behind the hut, including one armoured vehicle called 'sangguko'."

Saudi Ampatuan Jr.

The official says that after snacks were served, “Datu Sham arrived.”

Datu Sham is Datu Saudi Ampatuan Jr., the mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and a grandson of Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr.

He says he heard Amapatuan tell Datu Sham to just go back to “Ama." "Lo ka demon sa kay 'Ama.' Mangangapa kobo sa order ni 'Ama' (Just go back to 'Ama' I will just wait for the order of 'Ama'.)."

The official says he was also told to be prepared, but Andal Jr did not elaborate further.

While waiting, he says "Datu Unsay received a message through his i-com radio."

Dicay's role

"The other party identified himself as Dicay, who informed Datu Unsay that the Mangudadatu convoy had already passed Tacurong City and fast heading to Maguindanao," he adds.

The official identified the caller as Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay, PNP deputy provincial police director. By then, Ampatuan had told his armed leaders to prepare.

The official says: “Datu Unsay seemed to be uneasy and excited. He seemed to be anticipating that something important and crucial (was going to happen). He sat down and then stood up again. He was panting around like a cat.”

Then, a convoy of cars passed, and Andal Jr. verified by radio that the road had been blocked.

A few minutes later, Dicay’s voice was on the radio: ”Dito na Datu. Naharang na ang mga Mangudadatu. Napara na lahat. Dito sa Malating. (They are here Datu. We blocked the Mangudadatus. Here in Malating.)”

Andal Jr. asked if the convoy was armed, and Dicay’s reply was no, adding, “Halos puro mga babae. (They are mostly women.)."

The official says Andal Jr. ordered Dicay, “to look for the files of Toto Mangudadatu.”

Killing the Mangudadatus

They then proceeded to Sito Malating, where the witness was shocked at what he saw.

”I saw several people lying on the ground face down. He started inspecting the faces of the people as if looking for someone in particular. There was somebody who stood up and apparently was begging for his life from Datu Unsay, but the latter’s bodyguard hit him with the butt of an M-16. I heard some of them were already crying,” the witness says.

He adds he was riding in a police car about 5 meters away from the head of the convoy when he saw Datu Unsay approach one of the vans.

“I saw that he was pulling out a woman from the van, but the woman was struggling or was fighting back,” he says.

Shots rang out when Ampatuan pulled out 2 more women whom the witness recognized as Bai Eden and Bai Farina, sisters of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, whose certificate of candidacy for Maguindanao governor they were about to file in Shariff Aguak, just a few meters away from Ampatuan town.

The official was paralyzed by terror and remained in the police car, afraid to complain or run away. He said he saw, ”Bai Farina and Bai Eden were forcibly dragged and loaded into a black [Toyota] Revo owned by Datu Kanor Ampatuan”

Kanor is a cousin of Andal Jr. and vice mayor of Salibo town.

“The rest of the passengers were randomly ordered to board back in any of the vehicles and some were in the police cars. There were armed men who also boarded the vehicle acting as guards of the captives. They were pushed inside, hit with the butt of the gun, dragged, kicked,slapped, boxed …..if they refused to follow the order,” the witness says.

Andal Ampatuan Sr.'s voice

In his affidavit, the witness says Datu Unsay found him inside a police vehicle and ordered him to join him in his vehicle. There, he heard Datu Unsay talking into his hand-held radio.

"Ama, niaden silan, or in Tagalog: Ama, nandito na sila. ('Ama' they are here)," Datu Unsay said.

The voice on the radio said, "Katawan nungka den ngin e gulan nungka (You know what you must do)."

The witness says there was no mistaking the voice. It belonged to the patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Sr.

As the long line of cars proceeded to Barangay Salman, the local official says he mustered all his courage to ask Ampatuan what they were going to do.

Burying the captives

“He madly told me to keep quiet as he was tired. Instead, he asked me where we would bury the captives. I asked him again if we could just talk it over and spare life. He was mad and shouted at me to stop talking," the witness says.

When they arrived at a hilly portion, all passengers were ordered to disembark. The local official says, “Everyone was so afraid, and they were crying and begging for mercy.”

Ampatuan alighted from his vehicle and ordered his armed men to gather all the passengers in one location.

His men started pulling out passengers and dragged them to where Andal Jr. wanted them to be placed.

He says “several women were transferred and placed in one vehicle.” He did not elaborate what happened to them in his affidavit.

When the passengers were gathered together, the official says, “Datu Unsay positioned himself at around two meters from these people and aimed a high powered firearm at them."

Laughing while shooting

"He started shooting at them as soon as they were brought in front of them. Most of them were already on their knees, crying and shouting for mercy. But Andal Jr. heeded none of the pleas," he adds.

In his affidavit, the witness says, “While shooting at these people Datu Unsay was laughing at the top of his voice, and he is enjoying so much with what he was doing.”

The official claims he hid behind one of the vehicles so he would not be seen by Ampatuan, only taking a peek once in a while to see what was happening.

He says he was sure none of those shot would survive.

“In fact, after the shooting, he ordered his men and some policemen to shoot the dead bodies, which they did. His people, except those who seemed to be in charge with the guarding of the perimeter, fired at the victims. I saw someone was using an M60 machine gun,” the witness says.

Ampatuans tagged

The official identifies those who took part in the shooting as Datu Kanor Ampatuan, vice-mayor of Salibo town; Datu Banarin Ampatuan, vice-mayor of Mamasapano town; Sukarno Badal, vice-mayor of Sultan Sabarongis town; Datu Mama Ampatuan; and, Parido Zangkala Gogo.

The official recalls that Ampatuan went directly to the vehicle where he was, and while he was approaching, pretended to compliment him.

“He laughed at the top of his voice and as if he was proud of what he did,” the witness says.

Ampatuan then ordered him to return to Malating to tell people, “that they have seen nothing.”

The witness was brought back to Sitio Malating where the convoy was blocked, escorted by Ampatuan’s armed men.

He says that on the way, he heard several gunshots and saw a backhoe coming.

He says that when he was about to leave Andal Jr., there were still people alive, “the women, gathered in one vehicle.”

The official says that at first, he was afraid to say anything and to report the matter to authorities, but now, as the tide seems to be turning against the Ampatuans, he is applying to become a state witness.