PTFoMS lauds arrest of Ampatuan massacre fugitive

In his report to the PTFoMS, Lt. Col Ibrahim Jambiran, chief of the Parang Municipal Police Station (MPS), said Faisal Dimaukom, alias Kagi Faizal, was arrested by authorities early Monday morning. (File photo: Presidential Task Force on Media Security/Facebook)

MANILA — The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Monday lauded the arrest of one of the suspects in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre in Ampatuan town.

In his report to the PTFoMS, Lt. Col Ibrahim Jambiran, chief of the Parang Municipal Police Station (MPS), said Faisal Dimaukom, alias Kagi Faizal, was arrested by authorities early Monday morning.

Police also seized one F1 fragmentation hand grenade in Dimaukom’s possession.

He was turned over to Parang Municipal Police station for documentation and will be turned over to Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Police Regional Office.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, co-chair of the PTFoMS, welcomed this development.

“One down, seventy-nine to go,” Andanar said in a statement.

“No one said it’s going to be easy, but personally I think it’s just a matter of time before the long arm of the law catches up with them. It may even take some time to put all of them under custody, but eventually, justice will prevail as we have seen in the first batch of suspects,” he added.

PTFoMS Executive Director Joel Sy Egco said the task force will monitor the developments in the on-going manhunt operations and inform the public on the updates.

“It only goes to show that this government will not rest until all those accused who are still in hiding have been arrested. I know that their day of reckoning will come sooner or later,” Egco said.

Dimaukom’s arrest comes after an intensified nationwide manhunt for the remaining suspects as ordered by Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge, Lt. Gen Archie Gamboa.

Gamboa earlier issued a nationwide alert to hunt the remaining suspects and assured the bereaved families and relatives of victims that “efforts are ongoing and being intensified for the arrest of suspects who are still at-large”.

On Dec. 19 last year, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City convicted 28 people, including Datu Andal Unsay Ampatuan, Datu Anware Sajid Ulo Ampatuan, Datu Anwar Ampatuan Sr. and Datu Anwar Ipi Ampatuan Jr., of murder over the gruesome massacre.

Before the promulgation, records from the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 showed that 80 out of the 179 suspects remain at large.

Around 58 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, were supposed to witness the filing of candidacy of then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu for the 2010 gubernatorial elections but were flagged down and massacred by gunmen in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009.