They come from one of the poorest provinces of the country but the Ampatuans ranked among Asia's crazy rich, while they were in power. Court records showed that they owned five million square meters of property in parts of Maguindanao, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao City, and even in ritzy Dasmarinas Village in Makati City.
Records of the Land Transportation Office show that the Ampatuans could have as many as 121 various vehicles, including at least 53 top-of-line luxury rides that are the latest of their kind. The clan's fleet is sure to mock even those of the wealthiest tycoons.
A week after the Ampatuan Massacre of Nov. 23, 2009, the Ampatuans tried to secure amnesty for dozens of their high-powered, high-end firearms. After the massacre, the AFP unearthed or seized 1,200 illegal firearms in Maguindanao, including at least 300 reportedly linked to the incident.
Numerous motions filed by lawyers of the accused Ampatuans had stretched the pace of the trial interminably. By 2013, they had filed nine motions for the judge to recuse herself. Bail hearings for 70 detained suspects and lead accused, Datu Unsay Ampatuan, ended only in 2017.