(CNN) -- A key prosecution witness said Wednesday that he heard the accused plot the murders of 57 people in what is considered the worst politically motivated killings in recent Philippine history.
The landmark murder trial started Wednesday in Manila, with the witness testifying that the accused even ordered a backhoe to bury the bodies after the planned massacre.
Witness Lakmudin Saliao was a personal aide to Andal Ampatuan Sr., the former governor of Maguindanao province. Ampatuan's son -- Andal Ampatuan Jr., former mayor of Maguindanao province -- is accused of being the ringleader in the November 2009 massacre in Maguindanao.
There are 196 accused, about 500 witnesses and more than 11,000 murder charges involved in the case, which is expected to take years.
The wife and sister of political candidate Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu and 30 journalists were among the massacre victims.
Mangudadatu had sent his family members to file paperwork allowing him to run for governor of Maguindanao. Their convoy was ambushed, and their bodies were found in a mass grave.
CNN
