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TechnoratiMurder charges dropped against Maguindanao clan members
The Philippine government said Saturday it would drop murder charges against two members of the Ampatuan family who were accused of being involved in the planning of a massacre of 57 people last year. Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan were two of the 197 accused being involved with the attack in November on a convoy of political rivals and journalists going through Maguindanao province.
"I just issued the resolution. I have already instructed the prosecutors to amend the charges to drop them against Zaldy and Akmad," Justice Secretary Alberto Agra told the AFP news agency, adding that lawyers opposed to the decision can appeal.
In February, 197 people, including many in the Ampatuan family, were charged with the 23 November attack, which allegedly was intended to prevent a rival from running for provincial governor against Andal Ampatuan Jr in national elections coming up in May.
At the time, Zaldy Ampatuan was governor of the Muslim autonomous region in the south that encompasses Maguindanao, and Akmad was the acting vice-governor of Maguindanao.
Justice Agra said charges were being dropped against them because airline tickets and mobile phone records show that they not in Maguindanao at the time of the killings.
Relatives of the victims are sure to object to the decision to drop charges, as they have repeatedly accused President Gloria Arroyo of trying to protect the Ampatuans who delivered her crucial votes in the 2004 election. They were members of her ruling coalition until they were expelled after the massacre.
Murder charges still stand against Andal Ampatuan Sr, the then-governor of Maguindanao, and his son.
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