At his arraignment on Wednesday, Former ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan pleaded not guilty of the 57 counts of murder related to the Amapatuan massacre of journalists on November 23, 2009.
The trial of this case commenced on January 5, 2010. 196 identified accomplices have been accused but only 98 have been apprehended. Eighty two of the accused have been arraigned including the patriarch of the powerful Ampatuan clan, Andal Ampatuan, Sr, and other son, Andal Ampatuan, Jr.
A total of 58 murders were reported under the massacre, however, Ampatuan is charged with only 57 as the last one was filed late and the body of the journalist is yet to be found.
Among the victims of the massacre were the wife and sisters of Ampatuan’s political arch rival, Esmael Mangundadatu.
The group of journalists, along with Mangundadatu’s family, lawyers, aides and motorists were en route to submit a certificate of candidacy for Mangundadatu for the 2010 gubernatorial race.
It has been three years since the massacre and yet no resolutions have been made on the case, Interaksyon.com reported.
