Toto's revenge: To name puppies after Ampatuans

Buluan Vice Mayor Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu is set to avenge the death of his wife and two siblings in the Maguindanao massacre by naming puppies after two suspects in the grisly mass murder. Interviewed on dzBB radio Sunday, Mangudadatu said he would name two of the expected offspring of his pet Belgian Malinois Unsay and Andal Senior. “Pag nanganak . . .yung isa papangalanan kong Unsay, yung isa Andal Senior (If my Belgian Malinois gives birth, I’ll name one Unsay and the other Andal Senior)," he said. He was referring to Andal "Unsay" Ampatuan Jr., the mayor of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao; and Andal Sr., the patriarch of the powerful Ampatuan clan, respectively. Both Ampatuans are implicated in the November 23 massacre of at least 57 people in Ampatuan town wherein the younger Ampatuan is the prime suspect. Among the victims were Mangudadatu's wife, Genalyn, and two sisters, Farida and Eden. The Mangudadatus are political rivals of the Ampatuan clan. Also killed in what is now considered as the worst case of political violence in the country were several of the Mangudadatu's supporters, lawyers, and dozens of journalists covering the filing of candidacy documents for Mangudadatu's gubernatorial bid in next year's elections. Andal Jr., currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila, attended his first preliminary hearing for the multiple murder case at the Justice Department last Friday. Andal Sr., on the other hand, was arrested and taken into government custody earlier this month, shortly after Malacañang imposed martial law on the province. The Palace lifted martial law on December 12. Respect for animals In Sunday's radio interview, Mangudadatu said he at least has some respect for pet animals, which he said are tamer than “monsters" -- the term he used to described the culprits behind the widely condemned massacre. Belgian Malinois are bred primarily as working dogs for personal protection, detection, police work, search and rescue in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries, as well as in the United States, Canada and Australia. Mangudadatu, however, voiced fears that only Andal Jr. will be implicated in the multiple murder charges and turned into a sacrificial lamb of sorts. “Ididiin nila si Unsay at ibang sangkot ililibre nila. Hindi nila isasanto si matanda at ibang mastermind, parang sacrificial lamb ang mangyayari kay Unsay," he said. (They will implicate only Unsay and let the others go free. They dare not cross paths with the patriarch and the other masterminds. Unsay will end up a sacrificial lamb.) - KBK, GMANews.TV