Heavily armed military and police operatives, together with agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), have raided three of the
several multi-million peso mansions of Ampatuans in the city.
Armed with search warrants issued by a Manila-based court, the authorities simultaneously raided the Ampatuan mansions in Juna Subdivision, Marfori Heights Subdivision and in Nova Tierra Subdivision in Lanang, Davao City around 11 Sunday morning.
The raiding team was led by lawyer Victor Bessa, NBI deputy director for regional operations.
Bessa said that the search was conducted after the court granted its request for search warrants based on information that the Ampatuans were also harboring firearms in their mansions in Davao City.
But after hours of thorough search at the mansions, no firearms had been recovered by the authorities except for a pellet gun found at Ampatuan’s mansion in Marfori Heights Subdivision.
Bessa also said they knew that the Ampatuans owned several properties in Davao City but they only conducted the search of those properties specified on the search warrants wherein, based on information, firearms were hidden.
“We cannot raid the properties not specified on the search warrants. It’s illegal to do that and we could be facing charges of trespassing, robbery or theft, etc.†Bessa said.
The Ampatuans reportedly owned another mansion in Ecoland Subdivision in Matina and another property in Toril, all in this city.
Bessa said they would be returning the search warrants to the issuing courts with a report that the searches yielded negative results.
As this developed, police and military authorities also swooped down the mansion owned by Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. after receiving orders from Lt. General Raymundo Ferrer, who took charge of the operation after the declaration of Martial Law in Maguindanao.
Col. Leo Ferrer 601st Brigade commanding officer, said they received information that the other firearms were hidden in three other areas inside the Ampatuan mansion in Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao.
Earlier in the Saturday morning raid, several high-powered firearms and thousand rounds of ammunitions were unearthed from a ranch in Barangay Limpungo, Maguindanao, which was reportedly owned by Andal Ampatuan Sr.
The firearms composed of M-16 Armalite rifles, 60 caliber machineguns, 50 caliber submachine guns, three sacks of ammunitions and eight boxes of ammunitions were found in a shallow hole about three feet deep.
As of presstime, authorities have continued searching for firearms in Maguindanao. (PNA) - Jessie L. Casalda
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