By CAROLYN O. ARGUILLAS and ELLEN TORDESILLAS
MindaNews/VERA Files
GOVERNOR Datu Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) “encountered difficulties” with his United States visa and was held briefly when he arrived at the Los Angeles airport (LAX) with his family on April 26.
But ARMM Solicitor General Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi denied reports Ampatuan’s visa was canceled and that he was questioned for allegedly bringing with him $6 million.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin told VERA Files on Monday that the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles “did not disclose the reason for Ampatuans being held up in immigration.”
Ebdalin also said the Customs and Police Protection Office of LAX eventually allowed the governor entry into the US, and that Ampatuan is “due to leave LA for Manila 8 May.”
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ed Malaya said the ARMM governor “indicated his desire to find out through appropriate channels the reason for cancellation of his visa.” The DFA said it was still “gathering more information about the incident.”
Ampatuan belongs to the powerful political clan that rules Maguindanao. His father Andal Ampatuan was a three-term governor of the province. The elder Ampatuan resigned recently after the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the creation of Shariff Kabunsuan, a province carved out of Maguindanao. Another Ampatuan son, Sajid, who was Maguindanao vice governor, took over his father’s position.
The ARMM governor took his family to the U.S. for a medical checkup. With him was a son who had previously undergone heart surgery and was scheduled for his annual medical visit. Sources said part of the Ampatuan entourage was Dr.Tahir Sulaik, ARMM secretary of health, but could not say exactly how many members of the family were with the governor.
“That’s negative,” said Sayadi about reports of Ampatuan being held at LAX and his visa canceled. “Kung totoo po ang balita, na-news na po sana yan sa U.S. We are actually wondering saan nanggaling yung news eh. Nakakausap namin si RG (Regional Governor). Wala naman daw ganyang pangyayari (If that were true, that should have made news in the U.S. We are actually wondering where that news came from. We spoke with the Regional Governor. Nothing of that sort happened).”
MindaNews sought clarification from the U.S. Embassy in Manila but deputy spokesperson Karen Schinnerer would only say, “For privacy reasons, we do not comment on individual visa cases.”
The website of the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles does not contain any news item about Ampatuan being held at LAX or having encountered difficulties with his visa.
Sayadi said Ampatuan’s visa was “not canceled” and “not expired.” She said there was a computer “bar down” (glitch) and Ampatuan’s name could not be located immediately. Schinnerer refused to comment on the reported computer glitch.
Sources said that the governor and Sulaik were carrying diplomatic passports, but Sayadi denied this.
The elder Ampatuan was reportedly planning to follow his son to the U.S. to watch Manny Pacquiao’s Sunday fight against Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas.
But the patriarch’s trip did not push through, Sayadi said, “because there was some problem in Maguindanao. There were skirmishes and it is not good to leave the area just because of boxing.”
Sayadi said the elder Ampatuan watched the Pacquiao fight on television in Maguindanao with his son Sajid.