Philippine Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera filed formal murder charges on November 27 against the key suspect in the mass-kidnap-murder case in Maguindanao province in the south. She said that some of the suspects, driven by remorse, had stood up to accuse Andal Ampatuan Jr., the son of the provincial governor, as the mastermind. Investigations revealed that in this case, policemen, soldiers and private armed men shot women in a humiliating way. It remains to be investigated whether these female victims were raped.
Devanadera said that the prosecutors that day had charged Andal Ampatuan Jr. with seven counts of murder. In an earlier interview with a local TV station, she said according to witness testimonies, the mayor of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao province, Andal Ampatuan Jr., directed the massacre and personally pulled the trigger.
"(They were) ordered to kill everyone; it appeared to be a premeditated action," one eyewitness said, "he (Andal Ampatuan Jr.) was the person giving orders." Another witness saw Andal Ampatuan Jr. pulling the trigger himself.