Andal Sr: My big problem is my arthritis

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Andal Ampatuan Sr., patriarch of a powerful Muslim clan blamed for the grisly massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao last year, appears to be slowly adapting to his detention inside a military camp in southern Philippines. “I am a little okay now, but my arthritis is a big problem," he told relatives and supporters who recently visited him inside the main headquarters of the Armed Forces’ Eastern Mindanao Command here. Wearing signature sunglasses and puffing a cigarette, the man who is accused of ordering the November 23 killing of 57 people, among them members of a rival political clan and dozens of journalists, said he enjoys his brief walks outside of detention because it allows him to feel the breeze coming from the sea. “I could hardly walk, and this is the only place inside the military base that I am allowed because it is in this small corner that I can smell and feel the cold breeze of the sea," he said. Ampatuan, 70, a former governor of Maguindanao, was arrested last December along with his sons, Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan in connection with the massacre. Zaldy was in a separate detention facility in General Santos City while Andal Jr. is under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila. Thank you The elder Ampatuan, who was placed under hospital arrest due to his high blood pressure and diabetes, said he has nothing but gratitude for the military for taking into consideration his health condition. “The military is taking care of me and I have nothing to say. I wanted to thank the nurses and doctors and others who are helping me get well," he said. Ampatuan did not talk about the massacre with his visitors. Mostly, the conversation revolved around his health. Many of the visitors just listened to him, nodding their heads every now and then in agreement to what he just said. Despite the grisly crimes associated with his name, Ampatuan continues to receive letters while in detention, most from families whose children he had supported financially. Back home, volunteers take turns in cleaning his mansion. “Datu Andal should be released by the military and also his sons and others they arrested. They are all innocent," said a resident of Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao’s capitol and considered as bailiwick of the Ampatuans. Cry for justice But while supporters continue to bat for Ampatuan’s innocence, victims of the massacre continue to cry for justice. “We are crying for justice. Where is justice? They killed innocent people and they should pay for their crimes. We will not stop until justice is served," said Myrna Reblando, whose husband Alejandro Reblando, was among the 32 journalists slain in the massacre. Myrna added that the slow progress of the cases against the suspects in the murders is putting a heavy toll on the families of the victims. “We are not rich. We don’t even know where to get our next meal. I am only praying to God to give us the strength so we may continue to carry on with this fight. Justice is all we ask for," she said. She said her daughter stopped going to school after the death of her husband. Myrna now has to struggle to support a big family in Mindanao and the only means of livelihood for her is a small Internet café, which is being managed by her two sons and her daughter’s boyfriend. Outside the Internet shop hangs a huge photo of the murdered journalists – a reminder of what happened during that fateful day of November 23, 2009. - KBK, GMANews.TV