It has been three years since the brutal slaughter of 58 people, 32 of them from the working press, on the road to the Comelec office in Shariff Aguak, Maguidanao. Thus far, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court hearing the case has only arraigned 76 of over a hundred suspects in the mass murder case, including Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his son, Andal Jr. Some 28 suspects in this gruesome crime bear the Ampatuan name.
Of the arraigned, 55 have filed petitions to be granted bail. Twenty-six suspects have yet to be arraigned. This despite the prosecution’s presentation of 130 witnesses – 10 eyewitnesses to the shooting and mutilation of the victims; 13 members of the police, military and CAFGU force multipliers and 32 expert or technical witnesses.
Sadly, the killings continue, with four witnesses killed or believed killed, so far, and 30 who were barred from testifying. Despite campaign trail promises by then presidential candidate Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III that he would seek the speedy resolution of the Maguindanao killings if elected president, the case remains unresolved with no end in sight.
QC RTC Branch 221 hears this case only three times a week and, at this rate, prosecution lawyer Harry Roque Jr. fears that the trial may take 55,000 years to come to resolution. No convictions have been handed down, either, and the Supreme Court has seen fit to bar live coverage and broadcast of the trial itself, granting Andal Ampatuan Sr.’s petition for equal protection under the law. The dead had no protection of the law and their families’ right to the speedy delivery of justice is being denied.
Moreover, the defense has so far filed 130 motions before the courts that have delayed the proceedings, using these dilatory tactics to protect the interests of their clients.
This is impunity – the impunity to kill people whom the powerful deem their enemies without consequence. This is injustice and is should not stand. This is not acceptable.
Cyberpress raises its voice to call for justice for the slain now. We call on President Aquino to keep his campaign promise – for he is also the son of a journalist who was slain with impunity.
