Ampatuan arms cache linked to Maguindanao police chiefs
MANILA, Philippines - Several retired and active police officials assigned in Maguindanao province have been charged with alleged malversation of public funds after high-powered firearms used in the massacre of 57 people were recovered by authorities.
The Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) filed the complaints before the justice department.
The charges were filed against Superintendent Abusama Maguid, former Maguindanao provincial director; retired Superintendent Mangelen Adam; retired Maguindanao provincial director; Inspector Bona Malampong Tamboka and Senior Police Officer 1 Pendulat Sambolawan who are assigned to Shariff Aguak police station; PO1 Warden Legawan who is assigned to Maguindanao police headquarters; and PO1 Samsudin Abdullah who is assigned to Datu Saudi Ampatuan Municipal police station.
Also charged before the justice department were PO1 Aldulkahar Edris, PO1 Aratuc Zaman Maulana, P02 Datu Odin Baulo, and P03 Gerardo Pama.
The CIDG complaint alleged that Maguid failed to account for 35 units of refurbished M16 Armalite rifles valued at P66,675 each or a total of P2.33 million.
The 35 rifles were reportedly part of 54 M16 rifles given to Maguid on November 2008 for the use of various municipal police stations in Maguindanao.
The missing rifles were allegedly not officially entered and recorded in the property book of the Police Regional Office - Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-ARMM) because these were not presented to the Zenaida Dajao, the Regional Supply Accountable Officer (RSAO) of the province.
The CIDG complaint said Maguid failed to account for the properties despite demand letters by RSAO.
The complaints filed against the retired and active police officials came after the Maguindanao massacre last November 23 when at least 57 persons were killed including 30 journalists allegedly by a group of more than 100 armed men purportedly led by Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr..
After several raids and seizures of arms caches allegedly of the Ampatuan clan in the province, authorities showed that some of the firearms used in the massacre belong to the PNP.
The discovery prompted the police and the military to conduct a thorough inventory of its properties and equipment in ARMM.
Among those recovered were firearms of the PNP that were declared in 2008 as among the 109 assorted firearms supposedly destroyed when a fire hit the supply room of the 1508th Provincial Police Mobile Group office in Camp Datu Akilan Ampatuan in Shariff Aguak, capital town of Maguindanao.
Police investigation showed that the firearms were issued to Adam, Tambokan, Sambolawan, Legawan and Abdullah.
“All mentioned seized/recovered firearms were reportedly burned or melted during the fire incident in September 30, 2008 by P/Supt. Piang Adam. Hence, the recovery of the said firearms belies the facts stated on the reports made by then police provincial director P/Supt. Piang Adam. Evidently, P/Supt. Adam made an untruthful statement in his report,” the complaint stated.
A separate complaint of malversation of public funds was also filed against Edris, Maulana, Baulo, Pama, Sambolawan and Adam for their alleged failure to return 2 Toyota Hilux Patrol Jeep and 7 motorcycle units which were issued to them.
“These vehicles cannot be presented/accounted by the holders of the said property. Hence, demand letters were made…to above-mentioned PNP personnel to return the unaccounted PNP properties but they failed…to the damage and prejudice of the government,” the complaint said.
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Where are the BIG FISH!!!
If there's no blessing from a padrino in Crame then these should not happen. So still my question is : Why only them? WHERE ARE THE BIG FISH????
Chain of Command
By chain of command principle, someone from the PNP HQ must also be liable for not accounting and auditing provincial units. The punishment must be severe.
IF AND ONLY IF the more senior officers are made accountable, THEN AND ONLY THEN will this corrupt practice be stopped and fire-arm tracking would be followed strictly. Not only in Maguindanao but also in other provinces.
Eh kung inutusan lang yang mga provincial police ng mga Ampatuan, hindi sila papalag. Lalo na kung alam nilang kakampi ng mga Ampatuan sa pulitiko sila Arroyo at Teodoro. Sino sila para tumanggi sa mga Ampatuan.
What would you expect people to do when they are damned if they do and damned if they don't? Ang masama niyan, they might join the enemies.
Death Penalty to the Conspirators
The revival of Estrada Death Penalty Law must be done immediately and the listed names of Police Officials involved in the full-scale sale of highpowered guns and ammunitions to the former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. must be declared CONSPIRATORS TO THE MASSACRE and then subjected to the Death Penalty Law.
Malversation of Public Funds VS Massacre
The "malversation of public funds", part of the total amount is the taxes paid by the 57 massacred Filipinos, is a mild crime charged against the conspirators (e.i., all retired and active police officials listed by the PNP-CIDG) to the heinuos crime committed in Maguindanao Massacre. I therefore request a thorough review of the case and that said Police Officials be declared CONSPIRATORS IN THE MASSACRE.