A RESEARCH

PRESENTED TO
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
COLLEGE OF ARTS
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILLIPINES
Mabini campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila

THE AMPATUAN, MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE

A PSYCHOANALYTIC-SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF WHY PEOPLE DO HEINOUS
CRIME.

SUBMITTED BY:

EMMANUEL S. CALIWAN

BS SOCIOLOGY
 2009

RESEARCH ABSTRACT

Understanding why people do things a normal person would oath not to do is very difficult
task indeed but sociology as a behavioral science need to understand things like this so that
it could dispel myths surrounding such phenomenon. Contrary to popular belief that such acts
like people who are possessed by the devil or the likes of it do heinous crimes. Sociology
believes the contrary is true that human beings put in a right situation and circumstances, and
social forces at work are capable of such evil. As S.S.A Jason Gideon puts it “Evil is not a
cultural thing it is rooted in our human nature.”(Criminal minds EP.19 season 1). This paper
explores a very recent unfathomable and inhumane like social phenomenon that happened in
the Philippines particularly that of the Maguindanao province. The researcher for the sake of
accuracy calls this as THE AMPATUAN, MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE a crime that even in
our wildest dreams we don’t situate in the Philippine setting. Further more the researcher
departs from a pure psychological explanations and focus instead on a psychoanalytic-
sociology of men who are not in a war yet always at “war” and thus create evil1.

This paper is an initial step towards a convergence of psychoanalytical theory and

sociological theory on its quest to give real and critical explanation on the mystery that is
human behavior. Premises of nature-nurture integration, subjective-objective integration, and
neo Freudian psychoanalysis (particularly that Erich Fromm) and sociological social
psychology will be seen to play very important factors in unfolding to answer to our question
that we situates under the behavioral studies2 division. This paper aims at bringing sociology
closer to what it is all about a scientific and critical study of human behavior in the context of
societal forces. It is also my aim in this paper to bring Erich Fromm back in the periphery of
sociological thought. And the only way to bring him back is to use his theories which are all of
great relevance on the understanding of social phenomenon.

1
For the readers this paper aims not to give an apology of what the Ampatuans have done. I didn’t write
this paper in light of“ sociology in bad faith” to use Peter Berger’s term but my aim is to give real and
critical answers to a long standing question of : How have they’ve done such act ? (Papaano magagawa ng
isang tao ang isang bagay na karimarimarim tulad nito?)
2
The American school of sociology which holds a great deal of impact to the Philippine sociology would
categorically call this as behavioral science but to logically argue human behavior can never be put in such
rigid parameters, so the researcher believes that behavioral study is a much correct term to use borrowing
from the European school of sociology.

2
THE AMPATUAN MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE: A PSYCHOANALYTIC-SOCIOLOGICAL
STUDY OF WHY PEOPLE DO HEINOUS CRIME.

EMMANUEL S. CALIWAN
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

November 23, 20093 a common day for people residing in Metro Manila area, but not for
the people of Ampatuan, Maguindanao for in this day a great crime of inhumanity that is not seen
in the Philippines will transpire. But before venturing on what happened on that day lets first look
at prior events that would help us situate the event on the 23rd of November. 1988, Surab Abutasil
is gunned down inside a restaurant in Shariff Aguak shortly before the elections. Abutasil is
running against Ampatuan Sr. for Mayor of Magonoy and also a relative of Ampatuan Sr.’s first
wife. Although Ampatuan Sr. is the primary suspect, charges filed against him did not prosper.
2003, Ampatuan Sr. is accused by the Candaos, a rival family of the Ampatuans, of murdering
Abdul Candao, elder brother of former Maguindanao governor Zacaria Candao. Ampatuan
defeated Zacaria in the 2001 gubernatorial race for the province.2008, After winning his third and
last term as governor in 2007, Ampatuan Sr. is no longer allowed to run in the 2010 elections—
this opens the door for possible contenders. The Mangudadatus travel to the Shariff Aguak
municipality, along with 200 fully armed men. This is to inform Ampatuan Sr. that a member of
their clan will vie for the gubernatorial post in the upcoming elections, according to an abs-
cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak military source that is familiar with politics in the area. Buluan Vice
Mayor Ismael “Toto” Mangudadatu will rival the Ampatuans in the next gubernatorial race. This
displeased Ampatuan Sr., according to the source. The source adds that Ampatuan Sr. reportedly
wants one of his sons to succeed him as provincial governor. This is the start of the clash
between the two clans. They were once close allies. Former Buluan mayor Pua Mangudadatu,
father of Vice Mayor Mangudadatu, was one of the 4 key allies of the Ampatuan clan patriarch
when he was still starting out in politics.

23rd of November – The day of the massacre, due to the fact that Vice Mayor Toto
Mangundadatu are receiving death treats due to the fact that he is aiming for the Gubernatorial
position sent his wife and other of her women relatives to file his certificate of candidacy on his
behalf in the Commission on Elections office in Maguindanao. Lawyers, supporters and media
men who would cover the event are with them. At around 9:00 am PSSUPT. Abusama Maguid,
3
In reconstructing the events that transpired in Ampatuan, Maguindanao I relied heavily with the ABS-
CBN news archive. Retrieved from www.abs-cbn NEWS.com and www.newsbreak.com.ph

3
Officer-in-charge of Maguindanao police provincial office, receives information that there is a
bomb threat along the National Highway, particularly at Sitio Malating, Brgy. Salman in
Ampatuan, Maguindanao. Between 9:00-10:00 am According to a police report, the 8-vehicle
convoy of Mangudadatu’s party reaches Barangay Salman portion of the highway leading to
Shariff Aguak. They are flagged down at a check point conducted by members of the
Maguindanao police and Civilian Volunteer Organizations (CVO) along the highway. Thereafter,
the abduction occurs. From the checkpoint led by Police Inspector Saudi Mukamad of the 1507th
RMG, the convoy is brought to a hilly portion about 2.5 kilometers away from the national
highway. Toto Mangudadatu receives a phone from his wife saying an armed group, supposedly
of the Ampatuan clan, flagged down their convoy on their way to Shariff Aguak town. Her parting
words over the phone are about the armed men slapping them around and commanding them to
swallow the certificate of candidacy forms they brought. 10:15 am According to a statement,
PSSUPT Maguid receives another report from Police Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay that there is
a bomb threat along the national highway. Around 11:00 am The 64th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the
Philippine Army receives information that a convoy of civilian is abducted by fully armed men in
the national highway. The battalion immediately launches a rescue operation.11:30 am PSSUPT
Maguid inspects the Sitio Malating portion of the national highway. 1:00 pm The troops reach
Barangay Salman to meet with Chief Inspector Dicay, who heads the troops conducting
checkpoints in the area, says he has no knowledge of the reported abduction conveyed to him by
the troops. 1:30 pm The 64th IB troops advance eastward where the abducted civilians were
reportedly brought. Troops conducting the search on foot meet 2 armed men with an M-16 rifle
and a 12-gauge shotgun. They claim to be members of the Ampatuan, Maguindanao CVO. They
are subsequently accosted for questioning at Batallion Tactical Command Post of the 64th IB.
The men are identified as Esmail Canapia and Takpan Dilon. Because of inconsistencies in their
reports, four police officers Maguid, Dikay and Bakal, and Senior Inspector Rex Diongon are
ordered restricted at the ARMM police headquarters while undergoing investigation. 2:00 pm
Troops conducting the on-foot search found the crime scene or the surface scene. 3:00 pm
Buluan Mayor Jong Mangudadatu, on board a private chopper, is looking for his family. He spots
a number of vehicles so he lands near the site. The 64th IB troops initially finds 21 cadavers: 15
female and 6 male. The cadavers have multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of their body.
Later this afternoon, another cadaver is found in a nearby bridge.Five vehicles (4 Toyota vans
and a sport utility vehicle) are found by the investigation team in the surface crime scene. Other
items found are:

1. personal belongings
2. assorted empty shells of firearms
3. other documents

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According to Police Director Caro, the area is immediately secured to preserve the crime scene.
This is done in preparation for the arrival of the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime
Operatives (PNP-SOCO) team for proper investigation.

8:00 pm SOCO teams from PRO-12 arrive at the crime scene and started processing the 22
cadavers found. President Arroyo orders the military and the police to immediately pursue the
perpetrators of the gruesome massacre. In a statement, Arroyo directs the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) through acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales and the police through
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno to order their units to “conduct immediate
and relentless pursuit of the perpetrators, to secure the affected areas.”Description: Watch the
presentation prepared by the Philippine National Police on the initial findings and significant
developments last November 23, 2009.November 24, 2009 President Arroyo places provinces of
Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat and city of Cotabato under emergency rule (Presidential
Proclamation 1946). The SOCO continues search and investigation and processing of the crime
scene. Troops, investigators, SOCO and forensic specialists augment to the SOCO team from
PRO-12. According to Police Director Caro, the PNP relieves key police officers in the ARMM, the
provincial director of Maguindanao, the deputy provincial director (Chief Inspector Dicay) and the
directors of the police maneuver groups in Maguindanao. Additional PNP and AFP forces replace

5
the ousted officers in the province. Implicated security forces are immediately taken into custody
for investigation, says Caro.The SOCO team finds 3 more grave sites in Sitio Malating aside from
the surface crime scene found on the first day of investigation. The team is able to exhume 24
cadavers in the first grave site. The team will exhume grave sites 2 and 3 on the next day.
November 25, 2009 Grave site number 2 is exhumed by the investigation team. They recover 3
vehicles in the are: 1) Toyota Vios, 2) White L300 van with markings of the UNTV television
network and 3) blue-gray Tamarraw FX. They also recover 6 cadavers. After a while, grave site 3
is exhumed and 5 cadavers are found. The investigation team recovers a total of 57 cadavers
from the crime scene. November 26, 2009 Ampatuan Jr., who is implicated in the massacre, turns
himself in to Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Affairs Jesus Dureza. He is flown to General
Santos City where he is questioned. He is received by Justice Secretary Agnes Devadera.
Prosecutors, led by by Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño, conducts inquest proceedings.
At night time, Ampatuan Jr. arrives in Manila and is detained at the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI). He is charged with 7 counts of multiple murder charges. DILG Secretary
Puno reveals that the entire Ampatuan clan will undergo investigation for their alleged role in the
massacre. In a press conference, Puno says that aside from Ampatuan Jr., the Department of
Justice listed 4 other people are suspects in the crime: Maguindanao police director PSSUPT
Maguid, Shariff Aguak police chief inspector Sukarno Dicay, a certain SPO2 Badawi Bakal and
Inspector Diongon. The 4 are implicated based on statements of alleged survivors of the
massacre.

(Reports of armed movements and closing of local offices are narrated by DILG Secretary Puno
and PNP PRO-12 director Caro. Both said that events—after Ampatuan Jr. was arrested and
before December 4—are the basis for the declaration of Martial law. The following are considered
overt acts of rebellion, according to Puno.)

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THE MYTH OF “EVIL’ IN RELATION TO HEINOUS CRIME

Many do believe that such acts of inhumanity as mass murder/ sanctioned massacre or
in general heinous crime can be only done by people who are possessed by the devil. Especially
in our country that cultural belief in the unknown and the mystical are rampant. From here enters
the dispelling/disenchanting works of behavioral scientist (psychologist, sociologist and
anthropologist to name a few). Giving critical analysis (psychoanalyzing) by studying the behavior
of the “unsub” we can prove that such phenomenon are done by “normal” people not by any dark
entity. As Hannah Arendt thesis on the banality of evil points out that the great evils in history
generally, and the Holocaust in particular, were not executed by fanatics or sociopaths but rather
by ordinary people who accepted the premises of their state and therefore participated with the
view that their actions were normal.

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Fig.2 Hand of one of the dead.

Any body who are interested in understanding the intricate mind of the criminal offender
especially those who are committing heinous crime would be hook in watching the TV series
entitled Criminal minds. I am one of those who are very hooked with this said TV programme. I
want forget a certain episode in season one wherein the BAU (behavioral analysis unit) of the FBI
are invited to solve a criminal case in Mexico where a different kind of culture exist done its
American counter part, in the unfolding of the events we could see that crime done in the USA
are almost the same with the Mexican experience and in the conclusion when the Unsub is
captured SSA Jason Gideon4 said “Evil is not a cultural thing it is rooted in our human nature5.”

But one of the most powerful argument concerning evil as a product of man as a member
of a society is the one presented by Erich Fromm a well known psychoanalyst which have
sociology in his theorizing. In his seminal book entitled Escape from Freedom. He underlined the
thesis that man with his freedom/ individuality came isolation, alienation, and bewilderment.
Freedom is a difficult thing to have, and when we can we tend to flee from it.

4
Season 1, Episode 19: Machismo
The BAU is requested to assist on a case in Mexico to determine if there is a serial killer in the
town of a police captain who attended one of Gideon's seminars.
5
What Jason Gideon is saying is evil are in all of us if put in the right setting and through the push of
social forces evil can grow and pervade us.

8
He underlined three ways on escaping freedom: authoritarianism, destructiveness and automaton
conformity. To understand the behavior of our unsub ( the Ampatuans and their CVOs) we can
used as our lenses two of these ways particularly that of destructiveness and authoritarianism.

The Ampatuans in general reading6 tends to used destructiveness. This refers to an attempt to
destroy those we perceive as having (and are aiming) for power. Because of our desire for
power, we may feel that this finite resource must be taken from those who possess it. There are
many ways to attempt this destruction, including the alignment with hate groups, religious
extremism, or even patriotism or in the case of the Ampatuan by doing sanctioned massacre.
While our actions are often antisocial, cruel, and misguided, we rationalize them by claiming a
sense of duty. It is worth noting that being a Muslim warlord in Maguindanao such acts are
normalize due to the status symbol you inherit when you are born in a warlord main clan. As the
summary of events presented in the early part of the paper we could read that the clan’s patriarch
has a long list of crime associated with murdering those who are aiming to get hold of the political
power in the province. As Fromm develop his theorize in his second book entitled Man for Himself
he defined and coined a term social unconscious an act which we do which we believe are done
in our own accord but such acts done by following orders we are used to we no longer notice
them. As Fromm emphasizes that we soak up our society with our mother’s milk. Further more
Fromm believes that our social unconscious can be best understood by examining our economic
systems. In fact he defines and even names five personality types which he calls orientation in
economic terms. The Ampatuans fall under the HOARDING ORIENTATION7, hoarding people
expect to keep. They see the world as possessions and potential possessions. Fromm, drawing
on Marx, relates this type to the bourgeoisie. Hoarding is associated with the cold form of
withdrawing family and with destructiveness. And as the news portray Maguindanao is one of the
poorest province in the Philippines yet the Ampatuans own large estates and many mansions.

In case of the CVO (civilian volunteer organization) which serves as the Ampatuans private army
we can look in their behavior with the escape called authoritarianism. Following an entity outside
of the self and perceived greater than the self is the main feature of authoritarianism. As the
individual feels alone and powerless, he gains strength from the belief that there is a greater
power beyond himself. This entity could be a religious figure, a political leader, or social belief.
By giving up power to the powerful, we become the powerful and no longer feel alone. In this
sense authoritarianism is two sided or what Fromm describes as sadism/masochism, where we
submit to our leader (such as Adolph Hitler) and demand power over our perceived enemies
(Jews).
6
Reading connotes a psychoanalytic study of the behavior of the subjects.
7
C.George Boeree, Erich Fromm, 1997/2006

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And to clearly support Fromm’s theory we can used the Karen Horney’s view on neurosis8.
Horney’s theory is known as psychosocial theory for she differentiated with Freud’s belief she
believes that the source of neuroses are our social surroundings. Karen Horney’s theory gives us
a good explanation on neurotic behavior that is rooted in our social environment. She argue that
heinous crime ( in her language neurotic) are product of our social surrounding, the environment
on which we are raised. In the case of the Ampatuans, Maguindanao a place of which according
to the world bank report is a highly conflict affected area for here we can read that growing in a
environment like this would produce a distinctive deviant behavior. That is apparent with the
action of the Ampatuan warlord clan.

Fromm and Horney’s theory can mean a lot yet the social application which are a crucial
factor in explaining the behavior at hand are for my analysis, lacking a need arise that we used
social processes theorize to concretize our behavioral explanation here comes Kurt Lewin’s field
theory. For Kurt Lewin behaviour was determined by totality of an individual’s situation. In his field
theory, a ‘field’ is defined as ‘the totality of coexisting facts which are conceived of as mutually
interdependent’ (Lewin 1951: 240). Individuals were seen to behave differently according to the
way in which tensions between perceptions of the self and of the environment were worked
through. The whole psychological field, or ‘lifespace’, within which people acted had to be viewed,
in order to understand behaviour. For it to be sociological I relied heavily with the works of
Herbert Kelman and V. Lee Hamilton on their paper entitled The My Lai Massacre: A Military
Crime of obedience. In this work they identified three distinctive process that can be both applied
with the Ampatuans ad their CVOs private army. They also identified that this kind of act can be
called sanctioned massacre. Thus Kelman et’ al identified these three psychosocial processes
namely: authorization, routinization and dehumanization. Through authorization, the situation
becomes so defined that the individual is absolved of the responsibility to make personal moral
choices. Through routinization, the action becomes so organized that there is no opportunity for
raising moral questions. Through dehumanization, the actors’ attitudes toward the target and
toward themselves become so structured that it neither necessary nor possible for them to view
the relationship in moral terms.
AUTHORIZATION

Sanctioned massacres by definition occur in the context of authority situation, a situation

on which, at least for many of the participants, the moral principles that generally govern human
relationships do not apply. Thus, when acts of violence are explicitly ordered, implicitly
encouraged/ tacitly approved, or at least permitted by legitimate authorities, people readiness to
8
She defined neurosis as a maladaptive and counterproductive way of dealing with relationships.

10
commit or condone them is enhanced. Behaviorally, authorization obviates the necessity of
making judgment or choices. An important corollary of the basic structure of the authority
situation is that actors often do not see themselves as personally responsible for the
consequences of their actions. In this situation, behavior that was formerly illegitimate is
legitimized by the authorities’ acquiescence.

This explanation of behavior applies heavily on the behavior of the CVO’s their blind
obedience to those who hold political and economic power, those in vested authority, the
Ampatuans. They characteristically feel obligated to obey orders of these people the
Ampatuans whether or not these correspond with their personal preferences.

ROUTINIZATION

Authorization process creates a situation in which people become involved in an action

without considering its implication and without really making a decision. While on the other hand
routinization fulfills two distinctive functions. First it reduces the necessity of making decisions,
thus minimizing the occasions in which moral questions may arise. Second it makes it easier to
avoid the implication of the action since the actor focuses on the details of the job rather than its
meaning. Routinization operates both at the level of the individual job performance is broken
down into a series of discreet steps, most of them carried out automatic, regularized fashion.

In this process the CVO’s are routinized on killing people who holds different vendetta
rather than their own so such acts – heinous crime are only a part of their job as private
army’s of the powerful Ampatuan clan.

DEHUMANIZATION

Authorization process override standard moral considerations; routinization process

reduce the likehood that such considerations will arise. Still the inhibitions against murdering
one’s fellow human beings are generally so strong that the victims must also be stripped of their
human status if they are to be subject to systematic killing. Insofar as they are dehumanized, the
usual principles of morality no longer apply to them.

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 In this process a continued effort is done so that sanctioned massacre can be performed
a state of psychopathy is achieved so that a normal person can perform murder. Such
state of psychopathy can be called dehumanization.

CONCLUSION9

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The researcher is withholding this part of the paper until he finish the research concerning the Ampatuans
behavior. In addition, when the trial is already finish the researcher hopes to convey his final analysis..

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