Today is Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 and it is now 636 PM here in Brooklyn, New York City.
May 10th is, as far as Philippine Elections go, sort of like a solar eclipse in that it is a rare bird indeed. Not only will there be a Presidential Election but every other office is in the running as well. Since elections there are always rife with bloodshed one would probablly wager this one will be especially bloody. It is an easy bet given the way the season began.
Technically the season began November 4th, 2009 and as I noted in both my previous "Blood and Gore" entry as well as a CE and P Forum thread, the "Maguindanao Massacre" of 11/23 has set the tone.
For those unaware, that was the day when a Clan War ("rido" or "paglima") with a direct connection to the election season resulted in the cold blooded execution of 57 people. 30 of those people were journalists which made the incident the single worst case of violence against journalists in recorded history. Indeed, even before that travesty the Philippines was the most dangerous place in the world to be a journalist.
If the Philippines is dangerous, then our island of Mindanao is beyond description. The "Massacarre" took place in Maguindanao Province, which is located in "ARMM," the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. On our island beyond description, ARMM is the most violent part.
To recap, Maguindanao had, up until the aftermath of that incident, been ruled by the Ampatuan Clan, whose patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. was the governor of Maguindanao. His 30 odd sons by 4 wives (his tribe, the Maguindanaons, are Muslim) were positioned as mayors throughout that province, as well as as the governor of ARMM, the region that envelopes the province.
The bloodshed took place when an allied clan, the Mangadadatu, of Buluan in Maguindanao decided to try and advance itself. The vice mayor of Buluan, Esmael "Toto" Mangadadatu let it be known that he would file his Certificate of Candidacy for Governor of the Province.
Andal Sr's son and heir apparent Andal Jr., the major of Datu Saudi, decided he was not going to allow that to take place. Since I did already devote 2 entries (1 Blog, 1 thread) to this affair I will simply say that the clan paramilitary waylaid the convoy at a police checkpoint inside the Ampatuan seat of power, Ampatuan (Town).
The immediate result was martial law and an extreme paranoia about the election at large. Even off duty soldiers and police have been forbidden to carry weapons but this has done nothing to lessen the violence since those inclined to commit such acts are not the type to worry about official policies anyway.
Virtually the entire Ampatuan Clan sits in various prisons awaiting their arraignment in late April though the Governor of ARMM , son Zaldy, and his brother-in-law Akmad Ampatuan (also a 1st cousin) have just had charges dropped. The smell of blood is in the air though and they are probablly quite thankfull that this development has not resulted in their release. On the contrary the decison by acting Secretary of Justice Alberto Agra has been viciously assailed and Agra is reportedly suicidal over the criticism (to say the least) over the decison.
The Sangki Clan, related to the Ampatuan, has risen in its stead and received most of the appointments to fill political vacancies. The fact that the Ampatuan paramilitary is still intact and in the bush, having hightailed it to avoid charges of Crimes Against Humanity, has been an uncomfortable reality for the Sangki.
Patriarch Zacaria is now the mayor of the provincial capital of Shariff Aguak. The first sign that his blood relationship to the Ampatuan would not work in his favour became apparent on 1/172010 when Sangki's in Sitio Najib, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan was burned to the ground, including crops.
On Sunday, 3/2010, at Zacaria's Phoenix brand petrol station, in Ampatuan, was subjected to an attempted bombing by IED. At 10 AM a young man stepped out of a jeepney (most common form of public transport) and handed a cardboard box to the attendant, who set it down next to a pump.
Sometime after the jeepney departed the attendant and coworkers became curious and peeked inside the box. They were a bit suprised to find an IED manufactured from a 60 MM mortar shell, wired to the usual Nokia cellphone).
The attendant then pushed the box (I assume very gently hahahaha) into the middle of National Hiway, the thoroughfare in front of the station (not exactly the smartest thing though). The AFP (army) was called and sappers disposed of it.
As if that was not stressful enough for Mayor Zacaria, at 730 that evening his residential compound was hit with 12 mortar shells (also 60 MM). 2 men were wounded.
On 4/05 2 more of the Sangki Clan's homes, as well as a school that employs a significant of Clansmen were all subjected to mortar shelling, again 60 MM, in Barangay Poblacion, Ampatuan.
To go from bad to worse, the next day, the mayor's brother Mohamadisa "Datu Haris" Sangki went out for one of his customary motorcycle rides in Cotabato City, in N. Cotabato, the province next to Maguindanao. Leaving his home in the well helled Rosary Heights section, he had just come around the City Plaza when he was flagged down at the intersection of SK Pendatun and Sinsuat Streets by 2 men on a motorcycle. Stopping, onlookers observed the trio engaging in conversation before 1 of the men who had flagged Datu Haris down stabbed him in the heart. The other man calmly walked over and capped him in the back of the skull with a 45 pistol.
The duo then got on their bike and rode of towards the main town market in Barangay Poblacion 5. The PNP (police) uncharactaristically went after the duo but only managed to nab the shooter, Kenny Osmena.
Datu Haris steered clear of both politics and Clan business and therefore was believed to be immune from such action, but then so were most of the 58 people killed in the Massacarre.
2 other Sangki Clansmen have been shot to death since and as yet no know action has been taken by the Sangki against the Ampatuan.
I will continue shortly...
May 10th is, as far as Philippine Elections go, sort of like a solar eclipse in that it is a rare bird indeed. Not only will there be a Presidential Election but every other office is in the running as well. Since elections there are always rife with bloodshed one would probablly wager this one will be especially bloody. It is an easy bet given the way the season began.
Technically the season began November 4th, 2009 and as I noted in both my previous "Blood and Gore" entry as well as a CE and P Forum thread, the "Maguindanao Massacre" of 11/23 has set the tone.
For those unaware, that was the day when a Clan War ("rido" or "paglima") with a direct connection to the election season resulted in the cold blooded execution of 57 people. 30 of those people were journalists which made the incident the single worst case of violence against journalists in recorded history. Indeed, even before that travesty the Philippines was the most dangerous place in the world to be a journalist.
If the Philippines is dangerous, then our island of Mindanao is beyond description. The "Massacarre" took place in Maguindanao Province, which is located in "ARMM," the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. On our island beyond description, ARMM is the most violent part.
To recap, Maguindanao had, up until the aftermath of that incident, been ruled by the Ampatuan Clan, whose patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. was the governor of Maguindanao. His 30 odd sons by 4 wives (his tribe, the Maguindanaons, are Muslim) were positioned as mayors throughout that province, as well as as the governor of ARMM, the region that envelopes the province.
The bloodshed took place when an allied clan, the Mangadadatu, of Buluan in Maguindanao decided to try and advance itself. The vice mayor of Buluan, Esmael "Toto" Mangadadatu let it be known that he would file his Certificate of Candidacy for Governor of the Province.
Andal Sr's son and heir apparent Andal Jr., the major of Datu Saudi, decided he was not going to allow that to take place. Since I did already devote 2 entries (1 Blog, 1 thread) to this affair I will simply say that the clan paramilitary waylaid the convoy at a police checkpoint inside the Ampatuan seat of power, Ampatuan (Town).
The immediate result was martial law and an extreme paranoia about the election at large. Even off duty soldiers and police have been forbidden to carry weapons but this has done nothing to lessen the violence since those inclined to commit such acts are not the type to worry about official policies anyway.
Virtually the entire Ampatuan Clan sits in various prisons awaiting their arraignment in late April though the Governor of ARMM , son Zaldy, and his brother-in-law Akmad Ampatuan (also a 1st cousin) have just had charges dropped. The smell of blood is in the air though and they are probablly quite thankfull that this development has not resulted in their release. On the contrary the decison by acting Secretary of Justice Alberto Agra has been viciously assailed and Agra is reportedly suicidal over the criticism (to say the least) over the decison.
The Sangki Clan, related to the Ampatuan, has risen in its stead and received most of the appointments to fill political vacancies. The fact that the Ampatuan paramilitary is still intact and in the bush, having hightailed it to avoid charges of Crimes Against Humanity, has been an uncomfortable reality for the Sangki.
Patriarch Zacaria is now the mayor of the provincial capital of Shariff Aguak. The first sign that his blood relationship to the Ampatuan would not work in his favour became apparent on 1/172010 when Sangki's in Sitio Najib, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan was burned to the ground, including crops.
On Sunday, 3/2010, at Zacaria's Phoenix brand petrol station, in Ampatuan, was subjected to an attempted bombing by IED. At 10 AM a young man stepped out of a jeepney (most common form of public transport) and handed a cardboard box to the attendant, who set it down next to a pump.
Sometime after the jeepney departed the attendant and coworkers became curious and peeked inside the box. They were a bit suprised to find an IED manufactured from a 60 MM mortar shell, wired to the usual Nokia cellphone).
The attendant then pushed the box (I assume very gently hahahaha) into the middle of National Hiway, the thoroughfare in front of the station (not exactly the smartest thing though). The AFP (army) was called and sappers disposed of it.
As if that was not stressful enough for Mayor Zacaria, at 730 that evening his residential compound was hit with 12 mortar shells (also 60 MM). 2 men were wounded.
On 4/05 2 more of the Sangki Clan's homes, as well as a school that employs a significant of Clansmen were all subjected to mortar shelling, again 60 MM, in Barangay Poblacion, Ampatuan.
To go from bad to worse, the next day, the mayor's brother Mohamadisa "Datu Haris" Sangki went out for one of his customary motorcycle rides in Cotabato City, in N. Cotabato, the province next to Maguindanao. Leaving his home in the well helled Rosary Heights section, he had just come around the City Plaza when he was flagged down at the intersection of SK Pendatun and Sinsuat Streets by 2 men on a motorcycle. Stopping, onlookers observed the trio engaging in conversation before 1 of the men who had flagged Datu Haris down stabbed him in the heart. The other man calmly walked over and capped him in the back of the skull with a 45 pistol.
The duo then got on their bike and rode of towards the main town market in Barangay Poblacion 5. The PNP (police) uncharactaristically went after the duo but only managed to nab the shooter, Kenny Osmena.
Datu Haris steered clear of both politics and Clan business and therefore was believed to be immune from such action, but then so were most of the 58 people killed in the Massacarre.
2 other Sangki Clansmen have been shot to death since and as yet no know action has been taken by the Sangki against the Ampatuan.
I will continue shortly...