MANILA - The Department of Justice on Tuesday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the massacre of some 23 people including journalists in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao province Monday.

In a text message, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said she ordered the NBI to coordinate with law enforcement agencies until the successful completion and prosecution of the perperators.

"I have ordered the NBI to immediately conduct an investigation. I have likewise ordered the prosecutors of North Cotabato to coordinate with the victims' family for them to avail of the benefits under the Victims' Compensation Law (Board of Claims) and to coordinate closely with our law enforcement agencies for the case-build up to ensure the expeditious prosecution of all those who are responsible for this atrocity," Devanadera said in a statement.

He added: "The DOJ shall work on these cases until we have prosecuted the perpetrators to its successful conclusion."

President Arroyo on Tuesday ordered the military and national police force to deploy units to conduct immediate pursuit of the perpetrators of the gruesome massacre of the members of Mangudadatu clan and media in Maguindanao.

“I order all units to pursue the perpetrators, to restore order and secure affected areas in Maguindanao,” the President said in a statement at the opening of the joint National Economic Development Authority-Cabinet meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room in Malacanang.

The Cabinet meeting was originally scheduled in the world-famous Boracay island but was moved to Malacañang due to the Maguindanao incident.

The chief executive ordered Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales and Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang, acting AFP Chief of Staff, “to personally oversee military action against the perpetrators of these dastardly acts that occurred yesterday.”

The president also announced the establishment of checkpoints and chokepoints, with elements of Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade already in place to preserve peace and secure the area.

She appointed Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Jesus Dureza as the head of the Crisis Committee for Maguindanao.

The bodies of 22 kidnap victims, out of the 44 reported abducted, including the wife and relatives of Buluan town's vice mayor Ismael Mangudadatu, a gubernatorial aspirant in Maguindanao, were recovered by the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade Monday afternoon.

The bodies, recovered in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town, reportedly showed "signs of mutilation."

Reports said Mangudadatu’s wife, Genalyn, his sister, some relatives and members of the media were on their way to file his certificate of candidacy for governor of Maguindanao province when a group of about 100 armed men abducted them.

Massacre is 'the price of political accommodation'

Makati Mayor and United Opposition (UNO) president Jejomar C. Binay on Tuesday challenged the Arroyo administration to show political will and go after the Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao after they were tagged in the brutal slaying of members of the Mangudadatu clan.
 
“The administration needs to show that this time, it will not tolerate the actions of political allies. There is no need to impose a state of emergency. What is needed is for the administration to make sure that the full force of the law is used to go after criminals, even if they are linked to political allies,” Binay said in a statement.
 
Maguindanao has long been considered an administration bailiwick, delivering the votes for Mrs. Arroyo in the 2004 presidential elections and giving the administration's Team Unity a 12-0 victory in the 2007 senatorial polls. Observers have credited the administration victories to the Ampatuans.
 
 The opposition leader described the killing perpetrated allegedly by armed men identified with the Ampatuan political clam as “the price of political accommodation and selective justice.”
 
“The atrocity committed in Maguindanao reflects the failure of the administration to enforce the laws. This is the price of political accommodation and selective justice,” he said.
 
The killing also exposes the sham behind the national government’s campaign against private armed groups and loose firearms, Binay said.
 
“The authorities are fond of announcing to media the arrest of citizens caught with unlicensed guns, but it is either helpless or it looks the other way when dealing with political allies who maintain private armies,” he said.
 
“How can the presence of 100 armed men in a small town go unnoticed? What were the authorities doing at that time? There was either a failure of intelligence or gross negligence,” he added.
 
Binay likewise deplored the killing of journalists who were covering the event. “Under the present administration, journalism has become a dangerous profession. And when most media killings go unresolved, it only emboldens criminal elements to go after journalists,” he said.