Now, an international think tank based in Brussels, candidly blamed the Maguindanao massacre of 57 people in the clan’s having amassed great and unchecked powers that included a private arsenal with mortars, rocket launchers and state of the art assault rifles.

This was included in the report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) in its report "Philippines: After the Maguindanao Massacre". It blamed the culture of impunity as having been nurtured over the years by the Manila administration which resulted in the gruesome murder of 57 persons, mostly women and journalists.

The ICG report blamed the Ampatuans’ exercise of absolute authority as traceable to political patronage from Manila and also by laws and regulations permitting the arming and private funding of civilian auxiliaries to the army and the police.

Out of oversight or duties of central government, funds haveenabled the group to import and buy with ease weapons, and also cited the dysfunctional legal system.

The problem, pointed out the ICG, the Ampatuans controlled the police, the judiciary and the local election commission.

"In the wake of the massacre, there are opportunities for new measures in the areas of justice, security and peace. The question is whether anyone in a position of power will seize them," it declared.

If one attributes the massacre to a long-standing feud (RIDO) is to diminish the role played by Manila in building up a political machine and allowing it to exert absolute authority over a huge swath of Central Mindanao in exchange for votes at election time and military help against insurgents," it observed.

This was the inevitable result of historic hatred, but of a deliberate nurturing of a local warlord, Andal Ampatuan Jr. who was allowed to indulge his greed and ambition in exchange for political loyalty.

It stressed that "Ampatuan changed from a small-time politico to an authoritarian strongman in the late 1990s. But his power grew exponentially under the Arroyo government," the ICG report pointed out.

In short, the clan reached undreamed heights of power and wealth under Gloria Arroyo, lately because they helped her win the May 2004 election.

At the time, she was pitted against the popular, new challenger Fernando Poe, Jr.

That report, although only excerpts had been made use of indicated the President showering the Ampatuans with extraordinary powers and privileges that inevitably led to the Maguindanao massacre.

That is why the time has come for us to join the Negros Press Club protest caravan today, not only to denounce the Maguindanao massacre of 31 mediamen, but also to press on the government not to whitewash the cases against the Ampatuans but also to call the government to dismantle the 132 private armies around the country which acting defense secretary Norberto Gonzales had recently admitted.

Of the number, 73 are reportedly controlled by politicians.

In short, these are 73 potential criminal gangs that could replicate the Maguindanao massacre.*