Mangudadatu's niece seeks P3B in damages

A niece of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Thursday asked for P3 billion in damages for the death of her mother in the grisly Nov. 23, 2009 massacre — the biggest damage claim made by a relative of the victims. Bai Ayesha Vanessa Hajar Andamen, the 24-year-old daughter of Bai Eden Mangudadatu-Andamen, took the witness stand and explained to Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 why she was asking for such an amount. "Since we belong to a royal family, around P3 billion," Andamen said, although she stressed that no amount of money could replace the life of her mother. Eden is the sister of Gov. Mangudadatu, who also lost his wife and another sister in the massacre. According to Ayesha, she and her mother are both addressed as "Bai," which is the equivalent of a "princess" or "queen" in Muslim royalty. Ayesha said she works as a cashier at the treasure's office, while her mother was the vice mayor of Mangudadatu town. She said her family also owns a pharmacy. She also said that she spent around P1 million for the "Kanduli," the Muslim tradition of commemorating the 100 days of a person's demise. Ayesha said since her mother died, she has assumed the role of mother to her six siblings. "I cried and I could not believe it happened. My mother is a Muslim woman, and women are forbidden to be killed in our culture," she said. Apart from Ayesha, a widow of another massacre victim also took the witness stand to recount how she found out about her husband's death and how it affected her family. Fairodz Usman Demello, whose husband Eugene was among the slain drivers of the doomed Mangudadatu convoy, asked the court for more than P30 million in moral and actual damages. She said she shelled out around P200,000 for the burial and interment of her husband. Like Ayesha, Demello said no amount of money could replace her husband's life. Asked if she had receipts to prove her expenses, Demello said she does not have any because "it is Muslim tradition not to have any receipts." The court, however, gave Demello two weeks to produce necessary documents to at least back up her claim on expenses. In her testimony, Demello said she lost consciousness upon learning about her husband's death. When she went to the funeral parlor, she said she found the body of her husband, whose hands were tied in the back with a checkered Muslim scarf. "Napakasakit talaga dahil nawala ang ama ng mga anak ko," said the mother of five. Among the other relatives who sought damage claims are Catherine Nuñez, Noemi Parcon, Ramonita Salaysay, and Ma. Cirpriana Gatchalian, all relatives of they slain journalists. They asked for a total of P66 million in damages. - KBK, GMA News