Senators hail Maguindanao massacre verdict
MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Thursday hailed the guilty verdict laid down against several members of the powerful Ampatuan clan and others accused of the murder of 57 people in the gruesome Maguindanao massacre.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has found Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr., a former Maguindanao town mayor, and other members of the influential clan guilty of the murder of 57 people in the worst election-related violence and one of the deadliest attacks against journalists.
The court, meanwhile, acquitted Sajid Islam Ampatuan and Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan Sr. and more than a dozen police suspects due to reasonable doubt.
In a statement, opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan said the conviction of those responsible for the death of the victims should serve as a warning to mass murderers.
“Those behind the daily killings in the brutal drug war launched by this administration should take today’s Ampatuan Massacre Guilty Verdict to heart,” Pangilinan said in a statement.
“The killing of the innocent, the slaughter of the hapless, mass murder must be, will be punished,” he added.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said that the handing down of the Maguindanao massacre verdict “has been a day too long in coming.”
She, nevertheless, said that it was a “step towards the full measure of justice.”
“My heart goes out to the families of all the victims who have suffered for far too long. I am glad that this decision finally saw the light of day, and the truth is this decision should have come sooner,” Hontiveros said.
“The world has waited ten, long years, and finally, we have taken the first step towards healing, accountability, and justice. But this is not where the road to justice ends,” she added.
She said that the next step should be to work toward the “greater goal” of ending the “lawless violence perpetrated by political dynasties who only want to cling to power and look after their own self-interest.”
“We must ensure the success of the BARMM and that the Philippines stops becoming a dangerous place for members of the press, or for anyone exercising their democratic rights,” the opposition senator said.
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Senator Joel Villanueva, meanwhile, commended Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221.
This decision restores faith in the justice system. I salute Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes for her dedication and her courage to stand for what is right and just,” he said.
“We hope that our authorities continue to account for the other accused who have yet to be arrested and tried,” he added.
Senator Francos Tolentino said that while it took several years for the verdict to be handed down, “the attainment of justice shows that faith and vigilance in the judicial system is a primordial norm of a civilized society.”
“While the penalty may be wanting for some, lets us hope that this will never happen again,” he added.
For her part, Senator Imee Marcos said the guilty verdict against those accused was a victory for justice.
“Maituturing na isang tagumpay ng hustisya ang hatol na guilty sa mga principal na akusado ng tinaguriang Maguindanao massacre,” she said.
(The guilty verdict against the principal accused in the Maguindanao massacre can be considered as a victory for justice).
“Bagamat masasabing napakailap ng hustisya dahil na rin sa tagal ng paglilitis, ang promulgasyon na isinagawa ngayon ay positibong aksyon para sa mga biktima, at sa kalaunan ay tuluyang mapanagot ang iba pang akusado sa Maguindanao massacre,” she added.
(While justice may be elusive because of the long trial, the promulgation that was held today is a positive action for the victims which will eventually hold to account the accused in the Maguindanao massacre case).
The decade-long case stemmed from the gruesome attack that resulted in the death of 57 individuals, including 31 members of the media. Originally there were 58 victims in the massacre but the 58th victim in the November 23, 2009 massacre, Reynaldo Momay, a photographer of the local paper Midland Review, was declared missing after the 57 bodies, including those 31 other journalists, were discovered in the scene.
They were killed when their convoy was ambushed along the highway in Sitio Masalay, Ampatuan in Maguindanao on November 23, 2009.
The convoy was supposed to deliver the certificate of candidacy of Mangudadatu in Shariff Aguak, as he challenged the Ampatuan clan’s grip on the gubernatorial post.