clearing someone as suspect just because you like em in your own opinion is not good policy

MANILA, Philippines -- Three alleged Abu Sayyaf members face murder
charges Monday in connection with the bombing at the Batasang Pambansa
complex that killed Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar and three others, but a
top Malacañang official all but cleared Akbar's political rival, Gerry
Salapuddin, in the attack.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita Sunday described Salapuddin, a
former Moro National Liberation Front guerrilla, as a "very honorable
man."

"He is a former MNLF commander, but as to whether he has that psyche
of doing that ... I don't think that he would do that," Ermita said,
referring to the Batasan bombing.

"We will file four counts of murder and multiple serious physical
injuries against the suspects," National Capital Region Police Office
(NCRPO) Director Geary Barias said in a phone interview Sunday.

The suspects -- Ikram Indama, Kaidar Awnal and Adham Kusain -- were
arrested in a raid in Barangay Payatas on Nov. 15, two days after the
deadly bombing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City.

Three others -- Abu Jandal, Redwan Indama and his wife Saing -- were
killed in the gun battle that erupted after police authorities tried
to serve an arrest warrant on Jandal, an alleged Abu Sayyaf member who
was wanted for kidnapping.

Barias said police were still discussing whether to file the case in
the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office or the Department of Justice.

Salapuddin has denied involvement in the killing of Akbar, but has
admitted that Indama was his former driver and that Awnal was a
brother-in-law he had helped get employed as a porter at the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Police have found from Indama an ID presumably issued when Salapuddin
was a congressman. Witnesses also reported seeing a vehicle with the
license plate 8 of a congressman at the house that was raided in
Payatas.

Salapuddin, who lost to Akbar's wife in the gubernatorial race in the
May elections in Basilan, also has identified the Indama couple as
former MNLF members.

"At this point, Congressman Salapuddin is not a suspect," said
Director General Avelino Razon of the Philippine National Police.
"Unless we can get evidence or testimony to point to his complicity in
this case, then we can say that he is a suspect."

Razon said the three suspects under custody had not named the
mastermind but they had admitted that the target of the Batasan attack
was Akbar.

Ermita, who helped negotiate Salapuddin's surrender in 1984, said the
Moro leader was a "success story in the government's rebel returnee
program."

Speaking to reporters at NAIA before departure ceremonies for
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who left for the 13th Association
of Southeast Asian Nations Leaders' summit in Singapore, Ermita said
Salapuddin had called him from Basilan two days ago.

He said Salapuddin denied involvement in the Akbar killing and that he
was flying to Manila because he feared for his life in the hands of
Akbar's followers.

Aside from Akbar, two congressional aides and a driver died in the
bombing. Several others, including Negros Oriental Rep. Henry Teves
and Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan, remain in the hospital
after suffering injuries in the blast.

Barias said it was up to the Criminal Investigation and Detection
Group (CIDG) to assess the statement submitted by Salapuddin on
Saturday.

Barias told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of
INQUIRER.net) that the mastermind and motive for the killing were
still the subject of investigation.

This, he said, was what the police meant when they said that the
Batasan bombing was "solved but not closed," when asked by the
Inquirer to explain the statement.

"It means that we entertain that we have the perpetrators in our hands
and we have a clear picture of what happened in Batasan. We are sure
that Congressman Akbar was the target," Barias said.

"But we are still digging deeper to determine the other personalities
involved in the killing and the motive," he said.

Akbar's wife, Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar, Sunday filed a two-page formal
complaint of four counts of murder against the three suspects.

She was accompanied to the CIDG-NCR office by lawyer Sigfried Fortun
who said that the complaint basically stated how she found out how her
husband died and her "reliance on the investigation of the CIDG-NCR,"
as well as her intention to press charges.

The governor's complaint-affidavit is to be used by the police as the
basis for the formal filing of criminal charges.




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