Andal Sr.’s remains buried in Maguindanao mansion

The remains of former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. were laid to rest inside the compound of the Ampatuan clan's mansion in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, on Saturday afternoon.

His body was laid to its final resting place after burial ceremonies that lasted until 2:45 p.m., GMA News stringer Ferdinandh Cabrera reported.

Also, Cabrera said members of the media were barred from entering the mansion upon the request of the Ampatuan clan members for their privacy.

Andal Sr.'s remains were airlifted from Manila to Cotabato City and a convoy bearing them arrived in Sharrif Aguak at about past 12 noon.

An earlier report said family members and Ampatuan supporters already gathered inside the compound awaiting the arrival of the convoy.

About a hundred people gathered outside the compound to witness the burial rites.

Meanwhile, Ampatuan lawyer Salvador Panelo said in an interview on dzBB that the detained family members who are also suspects in the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre were not allowed to witness the burial ceremonies in Maguindanao.

“Hindi. 'Yung kanyang mga labi ay idinaan na sa Bicutan kaninang madaling araw para makapag bigay galang sila, yumakap, humalik sa kanilang ama. At pagkatapos ay dinala na sa airport ['yung mga labi],” Panelo said.

The late Ampatuan Sr., together with seven other clan members, was among the prime suspects of the Maguindanao Massacre in November 2009.

They were accused of orchestrating the mowing down of 58 people in what was deemed to be the country's worst election-related violence in a single day.

Ampatuan, 74, died Friday night at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City, his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said.

He suffered a heart attack and went into a coma on Monday. He also had an advanced stage of liver cancer. — Andrei Medina/LBG, GMA News