NCRPO beefs up security Ahead of Maguindanao massacre ruling

MANILA, Philippines — At least 120 heavily armed police officers will secure the headquarters of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) at Camp Bagong Diwa for the promulgation of the decade-long Maguindanao massacre case on Dec. 19, an official said yesterday.

In a press briefing, NCRPO chief Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said they have started replacing personnel from the Headquarters Support Group with those from the highly trained Regional Mobile Group (RMG), who would be in full battle gear.

Sinas said they are tightening the security measures at the NCRPO’s headquarters to avoid untoward incidents when Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes issues her ruling on the case at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Annex.

All the camp’s entrances and exits, including those in the community near the NCRPO’s perimeter fence, would be tightly secured, he said.

He also said a company of Crowd Disturbance Management personnel is also on alert in case there would be a rally during the promulgation.

The Southern Police District has also secured the judge and the prosecutors involved in the case, Sinas said.

He added that he asked the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to impose a lockdown on the Quezon City Jail Annex, where the suspects in the massacre are detained, “one or two days before the event. The visitors of the detained prisoners would be barred from coming to make sure no untoward incident would happen on Dec. 19.”

As for members of media, Sinas said it is up to the Department of Justice to decide who would be allowed to cover the event. He offered to set up a tent near the jail.

Fifty-eight persons, including 32 media practitioners, were killed in the massacre in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009. The members of media were accompanying the wife of then Buluan vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu to file his certificate of candidacy for Maguindanao governor.

Mangudadatu was challenging then Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who is accused of  masterminding the largest election-related violent incident in Philippine history.