Noynoy Aquino Update 4/20/2010

Andal Jr. backs Noynoy-Mar but LP bet says ‘No thanks’

(Update 2 - 7:22 p.m.) Andal Ampatuan Jr., a member of the powerful Ampatuan clan and the prime suspect in the murder of 57 people in Maguindanao, claimed that his family will support Liberal Party standard bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino and his running mate Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas for the May 10 polls, even as the LP presidential bet said, "No thanks."

Clad in a yellow shirt and baller at a press conference at Camp Bagong Diwa on Tuesday, detained Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Jr. said his father, former Maguindanao Governor Andal Sr., believes that their family can only attain real justice under an Aquino administration.

"Basta't ito po ang aming desisyon, susuportahan namin si Sen. Noynoy dahil siya ang nakikita namin na makakapagpabago sa gobyerno at makakakuha kami ng hustisya (we will support Sen. Noynoy because we believe he can reform the government and give us justice), he said."





Then he brought out a yellow paper from his pocket where the names of candidates that he said his family will support for the elections were written, and chanted "Noynoy-Mar" for several times while flashing an "L" sign, the symbol of the Aquino family.

In a statement faxed by their legal counsel Sigfrid Fortun, Andal Sr. however said the clan "won't support anyone." He said several candidates have sought their support in the upcoming polls but refused to name them. Andal Jr. for his part claimed that the Aquino camp sent an emissary to talk to their family.

“Madami ang nakikiusap sa amin at humihingi ng suporta para sa boto sa ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) at Maguindanao. Hindi ko na babanggitin pa kung sino sila ngunit sila ay mula sa lahat ng partido. Wala kaming ibibigay na suporta kanino man (Numerous candidates have requested us and asked for support for the vote in ARMM and Maguindanao. I won't mention who they are, but they come from all parties. We won't give support to anyone)," the Ampatuan patriarch said.

'What a joke'

But Aquino said the Ampatuans' endorsement are not welcome, adding that his camp never sought the clan's endorsement.

"No, thank you," Aquino said in a press conference in Cagayan de Oro City when asked what his message to the Ampatuans were.

"Siguro joke po yon. Di ko po nakakausap, hindi po namin hinahabol yung kanilang endorsement (That must be a joke. I did not talk to them, and we are not seeking their endorsement)," he said.

Aquino noted that Andal Jr. was not wearing a yellow baller ID band—yellow is Aquino's political color—when he was transferred from the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig. Andal Jr.'s baller was orange—the political color of Nacionalista Party bet Sen. Manuel Villar.

Likewise, LP campaign manager Butch Abad called the supposed endorsement "a sick joke."

"If this was a way for the Ampatuans to instantly repay the Arroyo regime for the legally questionable and suspect and undue haste by which two of their kin had been set free, it was a crude and reprehensible stunt," Abad said in a text message to reporters.

DOJ Secretary Alberto Agra recently ordered the dropping of murder charges against ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Maguindanao vice governor Akmad Ampatuan.

Abad suggested that it was impossible for Andal Jr. to be allowed to hold a press conference inside a high-security prison "without the Arroyo regime being complicit to it."

"Who is expected to be the prime beneficiary of this stunt other than the candidate originally endorsed by Andal Jr.?" Abad said, apparently referring to Villar.

‘Hurt’

Andal Jr., who was once spotted wearing an orange Villar baller, said he originally planned to back Aquino's strongest rival but consultations with his father and siblings changed his decision.

Andal Sr. admitted getting offended when Villar questioned the decision to drop murder charges against Zaldy and Akmad.

“Masakit ang salita ni (Nacionalista Party standard bearer) Sen. Manny Villar at ng ibang mga pulitiko laban sa aming pamilya. Inosente kami sa lahat ng bintang laban sa amin. Inabswelto na kami ng Department of Justice at hindi dapat kami magamit sa pulitika," he said.

(The words of Manny Villar and other politicians against our families have been hurtful. We are innocent of all the charges against us. We have been cleared by the Department of Justice and we shouldn't be used for politics.)

He also warned Aquino against poll fraud and urged him to be vigilant. The Ampatuan clan, erstwhile allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was rumored to have helped her win a landslide victory in ARMM in 2004.

Senatorial bets

Andal Jr. said his family will likewise support four LP senatorial candidates, namely: Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Serge Osmeña III, and Ralph Recto.

Other senatorial bets supported by the Ampatuans, Andal Jr. claimed, include: Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino), Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago (PMP), Ramon Revilla Jr. and Lito Lapid, lawyer Adel Tamano, Vicente Sotto III, and Silvestre Bello.

He said his clan will also back partylist groups Anakpawis, Gabriela, and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines