DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 23 November) – It took ten years and one month for the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 in Quezon City to convict 43 persons led by Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. of 57 counts of murder in December 2019, but six years later, the families of the victims of the November 23, 2009 Ampatuan Massacre are still waiting for the Court of Appeals (CA) to act on the appeals filed by both the perpetrators and the victims.
“Bakit sa dinami-daming pinatay, sapat naman ang ebidensya, bakit nakaabot ng 16 years na wala kaming hustisya?” (So many persons were killed, there was enough evidence, but why has it taken 16 years without justice?), CenterLaw quoted Ramonita Salaysay, widow of Napoleon Salaysay, in its statement on the 16th anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre. Salaysay of Mindanao Gazette in Cotabato City was one of 32 media workers killed on November 23, 2009, in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao (now part of Maguindanao del Sur).
“Partial justice” was how the families of the victims described the ruling then.
CenterLaw Philippines, which handles the case for the families of 19 victims, will file an urgent motion before the CA on Monday, November 24, urging the appellate court to “finally resolve the pending appeals in the Maguindanao massacre cases without further delay and reiterating judicial recognition for the 58th victim, Reynaldo ‘Bebot’ Momay.”
On November 23, 2009, a convoy of vehicles led by Bai Genalin Mangudadatu, wife of then-Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael ‘Toto’ Mangudadatu, was intercepted by about a hundred armed men led by then-Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. The victims were taken to Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town, where they were massacred, with some buried using a backhoe belonging to the provincial government of Maguindanao.
In her 761-page decision on December 19, 2019, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of RTC 221 in Quezon City found Andal Ampatuan Jr., his brothers Zaldy and Anwar, and 25 others guilty of 57 counts of murder.
Andal Ampatuan Jr., who planned to run unopposed as Governor of Maguindanao in 2010, sought to eliminate Mangudadatu as a political rival. After the verdict, Andal Jr. and Zaldy appealed the decision, while Anwar and his sons filed a motion for reconsideration.
The victims’ families also appealed the ruling on civil damages, arguing it was insufficient. Judge Solis ordered the convicts to pay the heirs of 57 victims a total of 155.5 million pesos, but no payment can be made while the case remains on appeal.
Atty. Gilbert T. Andres, CenterLaw Executive Director, stated that the families continue to suffer trauma and seek closure. The CA’s last resolution, issued on March 15, denied Zaldy Ampatuan’s motion for additional evidence and a police colonel’s bail request.
The family of Reynaldo Momay, the 58th victim, also appealed, as his death was not officially recognized due to lack of a body or death certificate. His daughter, Reynafe Castillo, vowed to continue fighting for justice and recognition for all victims.
“Gusto na nilang resolution ng CA kahit anuman yun. Basta magkaroon po sila ng closure kasi hindi pa rin kumpleto yung justice na kanila pong tinatamasa” (They want the CA resolution, whatever it may be, to have closure because the justice they have now is incomplete), Andres said.
Today, as the nation remembers the massacre, the families demand full justice, recognition for all victims, and an end to the prolonged legal battle. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
