PANDAG, Maguindanao—Four people arrested in a raid in Barangay Kayaga here on Wednesday formed part of a larger group plotting a terror attack to divert government attention from the Marawi siege, officials said Thursday.
Assemblyman Khadafeh Mangudadatu (2nd District Maguindanao) said the police raid backed by the Philippine Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion, yielded too much firepower to protect the small amount of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and cash seized from them.
Mangudadatu, a member of the Regional Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RLA-ARMM), said it appeared that the suspects had firearms to carry out terror attacks.
Police identified the arrested men as Jerry Talib, 39, of Barangay Digal in Buluan town, although his identification card showed he worked in Kabuntalan town as “escort,” Danny Karatuan, 34, and Roy Datukala, 27, both of Kayaga; Jomar Jainal, 20, of Barangay Damalusay, Datu Paglas, and Gole Mangandaong of Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat.
Taken from the suspects were tools and equipment typically used by gunsmiths, 30 pieces of 9mm live ammunition; a Bushnell rifle scope, a digital camera and cellphones, a laptop computer; a CCTV camera; pieces of unassembled firearms parts; a homemade shotgun; magazines of different firearms, one live hand-grenade, and P16,000 cash.
The Justice department, meanwhile, sought the suspension of proceedings in the rebellion cases it filed against arrested members and supporters of Maute terror group before the Cagayan de Oro Regional Trial Court.
The DoJ made the move as it awaits action by the Supreme Court on its request to transfer the trial and detention of the accused to Taguig City.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the motion to suspend the proceedings had been filed by the special panel of prosecutors handling the Maute cases.
“We have to wait for the Supreme Court action on our request for transfer of the cases to Taguig City because if that is granted, the cases would move faster since the proceedings will start with the same court and there will be no need for transfer of the case while the hearing is already ongoing,” he said, in an interview.
Aguirre said the CDO court has granted the DoJ’s request.
The Justice secretary also reiterated his call on the Supreme Cout to act on his request for a transfer of venue to Taguig RTC and detention of arrested Maute terrorists in Camp Bagong Diwa in the same city.
The Court has not acted on the department’s request, however.
“I hope they approve it soon. The situation there [in CDO] is becoming more critical as more Maute members are being arrested and subject to inquest. We really need to have the proceedings here in Metro Manila where facilities are conducive,” he said.
The DoJ earlier asked the SC to designate special courts in Luzon or Visayas to hear the cases due to the security threat in Mindanao.
However, the SC has decided to instead designate Cagayan De Oro RTCs as special courts to take over the cases from the Marawi RTCs. The Court also assigned the military’s Camp Evangelista in the same city to serve as the detention of the arrested suspects.
Aguirre has appealed the order.
He added that prosecutors and judges have expressed fear for their safety in the conduct of the inquest, preliminary investigation and trial of the cases involving Maute group.
Aguirre added that the Cagayan de Oro courts, which are temporarily located at the City Tourism Hall after the Hall of Justice was gutted by fire in January 2015, were not a convenient venue for the trial.
Also on Thursday, the Justice department cleared the four men arrested by the Philippine Coast Guard in Cagayan de Oro City last Sunday while carrying P32.8 million in cash on a ship bound for Cebu City, after they were initially suspected of having terrorist links.
The department, through the Cagayan de Oro Prosecutor’s Office, junked the rebellion charges against the four respondents who turned out to be employees of United Coconut Planters Bank who were tasked to transport money to another branch of the bank.
Investigating fiscals did not find probable cause to indict UCPB employees–Rhodelle A. Nagac and Rolando C. Limbo Jr., teller and operations manager at Velez Branch in Cagayan de Oro City; Leonilo B. Enterina, Reynaldo Puyos and Rolly Cervantes Estribor, all UCPB security guards and Ma. Cecilia Lim, UCPB Velez branch manager–for rebellion due to lack of evidence to link them to Maute or Abu Sayyaf terrorist groups.
Nagac, Limbo, Enterina and Puyos had been invited by the Coast Guard for questioning. The four were supposed to go on board a Trans Asia Ship bound for Cebu when they were accosted.