Secretary Jesus Dureza shows off his memento - a spent bullet shell of a helicopter machine gun

MANILA - Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Affairs Jesus Dureza on Thursday said that the helicopter which transported him and Maguinadanao massacre suspect Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. from Maguindanao to General Santos City was fired upon by unidentified persons from the ground.

Ampatuan Jr. submitted himself on Thursday afternoon to authorities in connection with the killings of at least 57 people in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province last Monday.

The town mayor was accompanied by his wife as well as brother Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Uy Ampatuan when he turned himself in to Dureza in Maguindanao’s capital town of Shariff Aguak.

He immediately boarded a waiting Philippine Air Force (PAF) helicopter and brought to General Santos City.

After the chopper had just taken off, he heard shots fired at the PAF UH-1H “Huey” chopper.

“We took off and while we were about 500 feet, I first heard some noise from under the carriage of the helicopter. I first thought that these were probably some flaps that were noisy only to find out that we were being fired at from the ground,” said Dureza.

The Vietnam War-vintage PAF choppers have an armored undercarriage.

“And so after several bursts from the ground, the helicopter pilot made some evasive actions and our two gunners made preemptive fires from the helicopter,” said Dureza.

He said they were still exiting Shariff Aguak when they were fired upon.

However, Dureza said they could not identify the gunmen.

He shrugged off the apparent attack and told journalists, ”It’s just part of the job.”

He showed members of media a spent shell of a machine gun of the helicopter.

“I have a little memento... This [spent shell] is my personal souvenir,” said Dureza.

Dureza, with Justice Secretary Agnes Deavanadera, later accompanied Ampatuan Jr. on a flight to Manila after inquest proceedings were conducted at the General Santos City’s Awang airport.

Amaptuan Jr. has claimed he is innocent. -- From a report of ABS-CBN General Santos CIty