Philippine massacre clan jostling for power
Dozens of members of a clan whose leaders are on trial for the Philippines’ worst political massacre are candidates for next year's elections, some for the president’s party, media and rights groups said on Friday.
Dozens of members of a clan whose leaders are on trial for the Philippines’ worst political massacre are candidates for next year's elections, some for the president’s party, media and rights groups said on Friday.
The revelations sparked outrage on the three-year anniversary of the massacre, in which 58 people died, with critics saying the Ampatuan family’s enduring political influence underlined the country’s “culture of impunity”.
“That some clan members are running under the banner of President (Benigno) Aquino’s party is a serious cause for concern because it imparts a damaging message that impunity is alive and well,” Human Rights Watch’s Carlos Conde told reporters.
Leaders of the Muslim clan, then allied to Aquino’s predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, are accused of carrying out the massacre to stop a local rival from filing his candidacy for Maguindanao province governor in 2010 elections.
Andal Ampatuan Snr, the patriarch and then governor of the province, and four of his sons are on trial, accused of planning or participating in the massacre.
Eighty-two people in total are on trial, many of whom were allegedly members of the Ampatuans’ private army.
