Where are 3 suspects arrested for Maguindanao massacre?

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City court handling the 2009 Maguindanao massacre has yet to receive information on the arrest of three suspects in the multiple murder case.

An employee at the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 said they have yet to receive the return of service of the arrest warrant against Talembo Masukat, who was reportedly nabbed by the 45th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Maguindanao on Saturday.

Records also show that the court has yet to receive information on the whereabouts of Nasser Guia and Abedin Alamada, who were reportedly arrested on Feb. 8, 2013 and Nov. 2, 2012, respectively.

Also on Feb. 8, it was reported that suspect Maguid Amil was killed in an encounter with elements of the Maguindanao police who tried to arrest him. The court has received no information on the incident.

The employee said the case against the suspects will not push through unless the court is informed of their arrest. Based on official records, authorities have arrested a total of 100 of the initial 197 people implicated in the massacre.

The latest was the arrest of alleged backhoe operator Bong Andal, who was nabbed on Nov. 24, 2012 in Midsayap, North Cotabato in an entrapment operation conducted jointly by the local police and the Army’s 40th IB.

Among the arrested suspects were PO1 Johann Draper, whose case was dismissed for lack of probable cause; and former Sultan sa Barongis vice mayor Sukarno Badal, who was allowed to become a state witness after the charges against him were dropped last week.

A suspect, PO1 Hernanie Decipulo, also died in custody after he allegedly jumped off the roof of his detention facility at the Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, where most of the accused are detained.

Fifty-eight people, including at least 32 media practitioners, died in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre, dubbed as the single deadliest event for journalists in history.

Members of the Ampatuan clan were tagged as masterminds of the incident. They denied involvement in the crime.