Andal Ampatuan Jr.


Andal "Datu Unsay" Uy Ampatuan Jr. is a former Philippine politician who previously served as the mayor of the town of Datu Unsay, Maguindanao, and convicted criminal. He is the son of patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., and his family continues to represent a powerful force in Mindanao politics. His brother, Zaldy Ampatuan, was the regional governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. On December 19, 2019, he was convicted, alongside his brother Zaldy Ampatuan and other co-accused, of 57 counts of murder and sentenced by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes to reclusión perpetua.

Role in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre

Ampatuan came to international attention in November 2009 as a result of the Maguindanao massacre. He was planning to run for governor of the province against Esmael Mangudadatu in the 2010 elections. However, Mangudadatu's female relatives and a group of journalists were ambushed and killed in the massacre, and Ampatuan quickly became the prime suspect. A member of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, he and his father and brother were expelled by party chairman Gilberto Teodoro due to the massacre. He surrendered to Filipino authorities and was charged with murder. He has denied any involvement, though several witnesses have gone on record stating that they saw him at the scene of the crime. In September 2010 he went on trial as the prime suspect in the massacre. Ampatuan, through his emissaries, was already under fire for bribing the relatives of the massacre.

Personal life

He is the 8th child of Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Bai Laila Uy-Ampatuan.