ZALDY Ampatuan, one of the principal suspects in the Maguindanao massacre, was rushed to the hospital on Monday afternoon, a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) official said on Wednesday, October 23.

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, Ampatuan was already in a stable condition.

BJMP spokesperson Chief Inspector Xavier Solda said Ampatuan was diagnosed with cardiovascular infarction secondary to cardiac dysrhythmia, or abnormal beat of the heart.

Solda declined to reveal the hospital for “security reasons.”

Ampatuan is among the 198 individuals charged in relation to the killing of 58 people, including 32 journalists, in 2009. The incident is known as the Maguindanao massacre.

The primary accused are former Datu Unsay Maguindanao mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr., the late Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. and several other members of the Ampatuan clan.

The target of the attack was Esmael Mangudadatu, who was then challenging the reelection of the younger Ampatuan.

Ampatuan Sr., who was the alleged architect of the crime, died in 2015 while in detention. (SunStar Philippines)