THE CONVICTION of over 40 people, including Datu Andal Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan, in the infamous Ampatuan massacre that brutally claimed the lives of 58 individuals, including 32 journalists who were supposed to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy of then gubernatorial bet Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, is most welcome. This is a long-deserved win for the families of victims who waited a decade for such a decision.
Thanks to the tireless pursuit of justice led by the families of the victims, as well as journalists in the country. But this is just the tip of the iceberg as the accounts point out to the culpability of other actors, who should likewise be held accountable for this heinous crime. Not a few were dismayed by the acquittal of accused policemen. Human rights alliance Karapatan, for example, holds the view worth considering: that the Ampatuan massacre was a State-perpetrated atrocity that revealed the deep and extensive connection between State forces and the local elite. Thus, it said, the role and culpability of State actors must never be whitewashed.
We view the court decision as headway, but we maintain that justice delayed is justice denied. With the fact that one of the accused Ampatuan was acquitted, some of the accused were out on bail and other legal remedies were accorded to the Ampatuans because of their friendship with powerful people, this decade-long trial is already a form of injustice for the families of the victims.
But we should laud the families of the victims, journalists, human rights advocates, and individuals from civil society organizations who remained unswerving in the pursuit of justice for all the victims killed in the massacre, amid the relentless attacks and harassment. This only proves that years of hounding and demanding for justice pays off.
As long as there are relentless efforts from families to exact justice and accountability, the fight will continue. Our justice system would have put this case in limbo if it were not for the resounding calls of families and journalists to remind the nation of this brutal crime. Many of our legal processes are subverted by murderers and plunderers to allow them freedom or simply wait for their crimes to be forgotten, but this case reminds us that impunity is not forever.
