No arrests in killings, toll rise

MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Accusations surfaced Wednesday the political killings in the southern Philippines this week involved the son of a powerful local politician.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has vowed to bring to justice those responsible for Monday's killings of as many as 52 people in Maguindanao province on the country's southern Mindanao Island. They were on their way to file nominating petitions for Ismael Mangudadatu when they were attacked.

Speaking to ABS-CBN news, presidential press secretary Cerge Remonde said no arrests can be made until formal cases are filed. He referred to allegations Andal Ampatuan Jr., mayor of Datu Unsay, was involved in the killings.

"According to the initial reports, those who were abducted and murdered ... were initially stopped by a group led by the mayor of Datu Unsay," The Times of London quoted Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina as saying, adding Ampatuan's father is a key local supporter of the coalition government led by Arroyo.

Arroyo has declared a state of emergency and dispatched security forces to apprehend an estimated 100 gunmen.

The accusation against Ampatuan Jr. has mostly come from Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan, whose supporters were kidnapped as they went to file his candidacy for governor in elections set for next May.

ABS-CBN quoted Mangudadatu as saying he talked with his wife before the massacre and she identified Ampatuan Jr. as one of the attackers.

The report said the Mangudadatu family believes the killings, which included his wife and two sisters, were politically motivated because the vice mayor will oppose Ampatuan Jr. in the gubernatorial race.

There have been no public comments from the Ampatuans on the killings, The New York Times reported.