October 20, 2010 Ampatuan trial
A FARMER from Sitio Masalay, Ampatuan town in Maguindanao testified October 20 how Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr. and his men allegedly killed 58 persons including 32 journalists last November 23, 2009.
At around 10:30 a.m. (local time) on 23 November 2009, Witness Abdul Esmael Abubakar said he was on his way to a nearby corn mill when some 30 vehicles arrived at the hilltop of Sitio Masalay, Ampatuan town, Maguindanao.
“While I was walking down the dirt road, several vehicles arrived with armed men on it,” Abubakar told the court in Filipino.
Standing only a few meters from the hilltop, Abubakar allegedly saw Unsay Ampatuan alight from a black pick-up, and shouted to the other vehicles to stop. Unsay then allegedly ordered his “soldiers” to get more than 20 unarmed persons out of a UNTV vehicle, a white van, a black van and a red car.
“Dapa!” Unsay ordered the unarmed men and women. As the victims obeyed by lying on their stomachs on the ground, Unsay ordered his men to fire while he himself started to shoot the victims. Abubakar claimed he heard the victims pleading for mercy. “Maawa naman kayo sa amin, Datu…. Wala kaming kasalanan sa inyo,” Abubakar described the victims as saying.
The other persons in the other vehicles were also ordered to alight and to stand before Unsay. As this was happening, Abubakar tried to get away from the hilltop with his carabao (water buffalo) but was allegedly stopped when Unsay told his men to bring him back.
When the men reached him, they asked him why he stopped when he already knew that Unsay was killing people on the hilltop. “Pupunta ka pa doon. Kami kaya pumatay sa’yo? (So you’re going back. Maybe we should kill you?)” one of the men allegedly told him. Abubakar asked them why they would kill him when he had done nothing wrong. The man apparently told the others that they should just kill Abubakar so he won’t tell on them.
A Datu Not allegedly stopped the other men, saying that Abubakar “was civilian. He does not know anything about this.” Datu Not then ordered him to leave.
Abubakar hid in the grasslands 200 meters from the hilltop. Behind the tall (“cogon”) grass, Abubakar allegedly saw the killing continue for more than an hour.
After the killing, Abubakar later saw a big, yellow backhoe go up the hilltop. The backhoe was allegedly used to dig a hole and crush the vehicles. The bodies and crushed vehicles were then thrown into the hole.
After the incident, Abubakar said he and his family left Sitio Masalay after the killing because of fear.
Other issues
During the hearing, Unsay’s lawyer Sigfrid Fortun asked the court to clarify if the hearings were part of the bail proceedings. Fortun questioned the length of the presentation of witnesses, saying bail proceedings are summary in nature and the prosecution need not go into so much detail.
Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes clarified that the presentation of witnesses since Sept. 8 were part of the trial on the merits of the case. Fortun questioned this as his client had filed in early September a motion for bail. Reyes told him the court has yet to act on his motion.
Another accused, Moactar Daud, was arraigned last October 20.
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