100 more suspects named

Dec 10, 2009 MANILA - POLICE named 100 government militiamen as additional suspects in the Philippines' worst political massacre as prosecutors filed rebellion charges against a powerful clan accused of ordering the brutal attack on a rival's campaign convoy. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's top Cabinet officials appeared before lawmakers Wednesday to defend her proclamation of martial law in southern Maguindanao province, where 57 people were killed, some left sprawled on the ground and others buried in mass graves. Critics called the martial law declaration a dangerous precedent, but Cabinet members said it was needed to stave off a rebellion by the Ampatuan family, the main suspects in the Nov. 23 killings, and their thousands-strong private armis ready to fight the government. The Ampatuan clan gained notoriety for intimidating political opponents and protecting their turf, which until the massacre made any action against them impossible. The head of the Philippines' independent Commission on Human Rights, Leila de Lima, said her office had received a letter from anonymous citizens blaming the Ampatuans for at least 200 other killings in the area in the past decade. De Lima cautioned that the allegations had not been validated and did not provide details but said she would investigate. She said her office had asked the elder Ampatuan to comment on the allegations but he never responded. Witnesses in custody have identified Andal Ampatuan Jr, a scion of the clan, as leader of a group of government militiamen who attacked a rival's convoy in Ampatuan township, said national police chief Jesus Verzosa. -- AP