Victims' kin press Hataman indictment for Batasan bombing

MANILA, Philippines - The families of Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar and four congressional staff members, who were killed in the bomb attack at the House of Representatives on Nov. 13, 2007, have revived their bid for the indictment of former Anak Mindanao party-list Rep. Mujiv Hataman.

The families of the victims went to the Department of Justice yesterday to call on Secretary Leila de Lima to expedite the resolution of their petition for the reversal of a Dec. 2007 DOJ resolution clearing Hataman in the so-called “Batasan bombing.”

“We are glad to know that the case is still pending and has not yet been dismissed,” Nor-rhama Indanan, the wife of Kimhar Indanan, who was killed in the bombing, and Tahira Ismael-Sansawi, one of those seriously injured, said.

Indanan was Akbar’s bodyguard while Sansawi is his niece.

“It has been four years since the incident and we are urging the Department of Justice to take a second look into this case,” Indanan said.

Sansawi and Indanan also expressed concern over the reported plan by Malacañang to appoint Hataman as caretaker of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, saying the criminal case against the congressman may no longer be resolved once he is appointed.

The DOJ earlier cleared Hataman and brother Jim of involvement in the Batasan bombing, after at least three other suspects recanted their testimonies tagging them as the alleged masterminds. The suspects claimed investigators of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group only tortured them to accuse the Hataman brothers.