DOJ files murder raps vs Ampatuan patriarch (1:09 p.m.)

FORMER Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. and 196 others have been charged in court with 57 counts of murder in connection with the killing of 57 rivals and journalists in November 23, 2009, a television report said.

Andal and four other members of the powerful clan are facing rebellion charges before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court for their alleged involved in the Maguindanao massacre.

Muhammad Sangki, a local town councilor, testified last month that Andal Jr., the son of the Ampatuan clan's patriarch, led dozens of men in blocking the victims' convoy as they traveled to register the gubernatorial candidacy of a clan rival then tried to identify each of them before they were shot Nov. 23.

The massacre was the worst election-related violence in Philippines history. It came in the run-up to national polls due in May, highlighting the violent sway of warlords in the Southeast Asian nation's volatile democracy. More than 30 journalists and their staff were among those killed, the deadliest single attack on media workers in the world. (ABC/AP/Sunnex)