AQUINO, ROXAS REBUKE AGRA FOR DERAILING PROSECUTION PROCESS

Presidential race frontrunners Senators Benigno S. Aquino III and Mar Roxas today rebuked Justice Secretary Alberto Agra for bypassing state prosecutors and derailing the prosecution process in his unilateral decision to drop murder charges against two members of the Ampatuan clan.

Aquino and Roxas, at the same time, said the move is another confirmation of the LP warning of a Malacañang-hatched grand scheme to perpetrate massive cheating operations in Mindanao.

Aquino said: "Huwag natin kakalimutan 'yung isang na-drop ang charges ay governor sa kasalukuyan ng ARMM. So, kung wala ng charges against him, na-lift ang suspension, balik siya sa puwesto at balik pa rin tayo sa sitwasyon na hindi nare-resolve yung conduct ng election sa ARMM (Let's not forget that one of those dropped from the murder charge is the governor of ARMM, who was suspended because of the case. If his suspension is lifted, then we are back to the issue of the conduct of elections in the ARMM)."

He said Agra should have given courtesy to state prosecutors who were handling the preliminary investigation of the murder charges filed against the Ampatuans for the politically motivated, grisly death of 57 victims.

"Sana po tutal nai-file na ang kaso pinabayaan na ang korte na mag-desisyon kung may bigat, may laman, may saysay 'yung testimonyang nag-iimplicate dun sa dalawang dinrop sa charges (He should have allowed the court to decide if there was merit in the case)," Aquino said.

Roxas was baffled at how Agra arrived at his decision dismissing the murder charges against suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and Mamasano Mayor Akmad Ampatuan Sr. from the murder cases

"Hindi ba may itinalagang special prosecutor? Isang team iyan. Sila mismo nagsasabi na nabigla na lang sila kasi hindi pa kumpleto ang kanilang pag-aaral. Tapos out of the blue, pinawalang sala ng Justice Secretary ang mga kaso. On what basis? Kung ang kanyang mga head ng prosecution hindi pa nakakapagpasya, paano siya nakapagpasya? (Wasn't there a team of special prosecutors? It's a team and they said they have made no conclusions yet. How come out of the blue the Secretary of Justice will say there is no case?)," he asked.

"Related na ito sa politika, sa halalan, sa lahat. Bakit ka mag-dedesisyon ng ganito na biglaan lang? Kumbaga, nag-desisyon ang isang secretary na wala pang rekomendasyon ang undersecretary, ang assistant secretary, ang bureau director. Hindi ba nakakapagtaas kilay? Bakit? Paano nangyari ito? (This is all related to politics, to the elections, to everything. How can a Secretary decide without any recommendation of the undersecretary, the assistant secretary, the bureau director? Doesn't it raise eyebrows? Why? How could this happen?)," he added.

Aquino and Roxas vowed that under their administration, there would be swift justice "that is not selective" in the prosecution of suspects, including those already excluded by Agra, in the massacre of 57 innocent civilians in Maguindanao last November.

They vowed legal remedies would be exhausted to ensure that justice is obtained for the families and relatives of the victims of the gruesome murder.

The Ampatuan clan is widely linked to dagdag-bawas or cheating operations during elections in Maguindanao, particularly in the past nine years in alliance with the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

"Wala ka na talagang makukuhang hustisya dito sa administrasyong ito (There is no justice under this administration)," an exasperated Roxas said.

The two Ampatuans -- Zaldy Sr. and Akmad -- are among 197 people facing charges of murder for the massacre of 57 innocent civilians, including 32 media practitioners, on their way to the capital city of Sharif Aguak in Maguindanao in November last year.

Six of the 23 Ampatuan clan members included in the murder charges are now detained, including the patriarch, Andal Sr., and his sons Andal Jr., Governor Zaldy and Mayor Sajid.