Press Release
April 26, 2010

Ampatuan victims to get justice under Villar

Nacionalista Party (NP) senatorial candidate Adel Tamano said the victims of the Ampatuan massacre will get justice under the party's standard-bearer Manny Villar if he becomes president.

"If we want to have justice in the Ampatuan case, it would be under the next administration of Villar," Tamano said.

Tamano said the decision of Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra in clearing suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and the latter's cousin Akhmad Ampatuan of murder over the gruesome killings of 57 people last November is proof that justice remains elusive under the Arroyo administration.

"Is it not obvious? It is a 'thank you' from Madam Gloria for making her chief in 2004 and in 2007," said Tamano.

He said many people were shocked by the newly designated Justice Secretary's decision to drop the murder charges of the two Ampatuans instead of speeding up the clearing of the backlog of cases at the Department of Justice.

"If I [were the] justice secretary and I have so many jobs to do, bakit ang una kong gagawin ay i-dismiss 'yong murder charges?" Tamano deplored.

Earlier, Villar and the NP have asked Malacañang and Agra to rethink their position.

Villar warned the government against seeking a political solution to the Ampatuan case, saying the entire nation will never forgive Mrs. Arroyo for a whitewash of the case.

"This case is too heinous and too painful to swallow as a people and as a nation. This case will not fade away as the perpetrators are hoping. We will make sure of that," Villar said.

News Latest News Feed