Wife of Ampatuan Jr. accuses Toto Mangudadatu of persecuting clan

The wife of Maguindanao massacre principal suspect Andal "Datu Unsay" Ampatuan Jr has accused Maguindanao Gov. Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu of using his government post and the Department of Justice to launch "politically motivated" attacks on her and members of her clan.

In a five-page letter, Datu Unsay Mayor Bai Reshal Ampatuan sought the help of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima as regards what she said were trumped up charges that Mangudadatu and his allies have lodged against her and her relatives.

She claimed Mangudadatu enlisted the help of Provincial Prosecutor Tocod Ronda and Judge George Jabido of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 15 in Cotabato City to carry out the attack on her family.

Reshal said an arson case she filed against Kagui Akmad Ampatuan over the burning of her husband's house in June 2014 was dismissed by Ronda.

Reshal said she and her niece Datu Unsay Vice Mayor Bai Janine Julhaya Mamalapat were then wrongly accused of murder over the death of her uncle Abdullah Ampatuan in July 2013. She claimed a witness, a known "hitman" of Akmad, had been tapped to implicate them. Jabido eventually issued an arrest warrant against them.

Reshal said the judge has since been "sitting on" a motion for reconsideration she had filed.

Reshal's sister-in-law Zahara Ampatuan, meanwhile, was also charged with murder over a killing in Shariff Aguak, Reshal added. Jabido issued the arrest warrant too. Zahara has since gone in hiding.

"Dahil kami ang malayang ibinoboto ng mga mamayan ng mga munisipyo na aming pinagsisilbihan, ginagamit nina Gov. Toto ang kapangyarihan ng batas sa maling paraan para kami ay mapatalsik sa pwesto at sa ganun ay mga tauhan nya ang makaupo," said Reshal.

"Hindi po dahil namatayan si Gov. Toto ng mga kamag-anak ay pwede na niya ito gamitin na rason para apihin at abusuhin kaming mga inosente at walang kalabanlaban sa Maguindanao. Hindi rin ito pwede maging dahilan para gumawa ng mali sa ibang tao," she added.

Reacting to Reshal's accusations, Mangudadatu told reporters he would welcome any investigation on the Datu Unsay mayor's "laughable, concocted and imaginary" allegations.

"I'll turn the table on her, because based on facts... what I know is that her husband Unsay Ampatuan is now incarcerated for murdering my family," said Mangudadatu.

"And even if he is in detention, he gives command to his private armed men to sow terroristic activities against my supporters and law abiding citizens of our province," the governor added.

Reshal and Zahara were among the latest batch of 50 new suspects being probed for the November 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre, where 58 people, 32 of them journalists, were killed while on their way to register Mangudadatu in the gubernatorial polls.

Mangudadatu lost his wife and two sisters in the carnage. Reshal's husband, meanwhile, is currently jailed and facing multiple murder charges for allegedly orchestrating the killings, along with his father, two brothers, and more than 100 local policemen and private army members.

The fresh batch of charges were filed with the help of Akmad's testimony. Despite facing a criminal case in Cotabato City, Akmad has been taken under custody of the DOJ as he is being groomed as a witness in the Maguindanao massacre trial.

"Humihingi din ako ng saklolo dahil sa pakiramdam ko po ay ginagawang instrumento ni Gov. Toto ang inyong departamento para sa kanyang pansariling interest," said Reshal.

Reshal lamented how she and the 49 other new suspects have been subpoenaed and ordered to fly to Manila for the preliminary investigation, despite being "obvious" that the charges were baseless.

"Sa naturang additional fifty (50) respondents, karamihan ay puro mga opisyal na opposition kay Gov. Toto. Kaya naman walang kaduda-duda na politically motivated ang kaso dahil nalalapit na naman ang eleksyon kaya sila nagfile ng mga kaso sa amin," she said.

Reshal said her husband's incarceration and the pending warrant of arrest against her, coupled with being implicated in the Maguindanao massacre have all taken toll on their children.

"Sobrang sakit po ang epekto sa akin lalo na sa aking mga anak ang walang katarungang ginagawa sa amin ngayon. Simula noong may ma-issue sa akin na warrant of arrest ay sobrang kalungkotan ang nararamdaman ng aking mga anak," she said.

She added: "Nakakulong na nga ang kanilang ama, pati ako na ina nila ay hindi nila makapiling lagi dahil sa mga kasinungalingan at gawagawang kaso laban sa akin."

Reshal said she even failed to attend her children's graduation for fear of being arrested.

"Masakit sa mga anak ko na sa murang edad nila ay hindi nila makapiling ang kanilang mga magulang. Itong buwan ng Marso lang ay tatlo sa aking anak ang nagtapos at gumraduate ng High School, Elementary at Kindergarteen. Hindi ko po nadaluhan dahil sa situation ko ngayon," she said. -NB, GMA News