Manila - Philippine state prosecutors on Tuesday filed murder charges against a scion of a powerful political clan accused of leading the massacre of 57 civilians in a southern province. Twenty-five counts of murder were filed against Datu Andal Ampatuan Junior at a regional trial court in Cotabato City, 960 kilometres south of Manila. A judge from nearby Sultan Kudarat province was appointed to handle the cases.
Prosecutors said Ampatuan Junior "conspired, confederated and mutually helped with several other John Does" in killing relatives of his family's political rival and journalists in Ampatuan town of Maguindanao province, 930 kilometres south of Manila.
Among the evidence to be presented in court were autopsy reports and photographs of their victims, as well as positive identification of Ampatuan Junior and his cohorts by witnesses.
Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said the 25 murder charges could still rise as more complainants come out to file charges.
Devanadera, who oversees the prosecution of all those involved in the case, said she was being pressured to go slow in investigating the alleged involvement of the Ampatuan family, close allies of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in the carnage.
"They were asking that the Ampatuans not be pinned down," she told reporters in a press briefing, but refused to identify the people allegedly pressuring her.
She vowed to prosecute all the perpetrators of the massacre, the worst-ever election-related violence in the Philippines.
Devanadera said she has asked the Supreme Court to transfer the venue of the trial against Ampatuan to Manila.
The victims were on their way to register the candidacy of Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu for Maguindanao governor, pitting him against Ampatuan Junior in next year's elections.
They included Mangudadatu's wife, two sisters, two human rights lawyers and 30 local journalists who were covering the event.
The government has been severely criticized for its slow response to the case. It took four days before Ampatuan Junior was placed under the custody of the justice department.
Mangundadatu said he was not yet satisfied with the filing of the charges against Ampatuan Junior, alleging that other powerful members of the clan were also involved in the carnage.
"I hope that all the others involved would also be charged in court," he said.
Mangundadatu accused Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Senior, the suspect's father, and Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, an elder brother of the suspect, of having a hand in the mass slaughter.
"They are the structural designers, the architects of this heinous crime," he said.
The justice department said Ampatuan Senior, Zaldy and six other relatives were already being investigated for complicity in the attack.
