Lawmakers at the House of Representatives welcomed the court’s decision to convict several members of the Ampatuan clan for their involvement in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, which claimed the lives of 58 people.
Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu, whose wife and other relatives were among the victims in the decade-old carnage, said the landmark ruling is proof that justice is alive and well in the country.
“It will never be wrong to choose what is right and to trust in God and our Constitution.”
“Bagama’t hindi lahat ng akusado ay nahatulan ng pagkakakulong, kami ay nagagalak pa rin dahil ang mga dapat masakdal ay nakatakda ng makulong pang habang-buhay… Ang sampung taong paghihintay ay naging makabuluhan dahil tayo ang kinatigan ng hustisya (Although not all those accused were convicted, we are still pleased that most of them were sentenced to life in prison… The 10 years of waiting was worth it because justice is on our side),” Mangudadatu said.
“Ang pangyayaring ito ay patunay lamang na buhay na buhay ang hustisya sa ating bansa at hindi kailan man magiging mali ang pagpili sa tama at pagtitiwala ng lubos sa Diyos at sa ating Saligang Batas (This event is proof that justice is very much alive in our country and it will never be wrong to choose what is right and to trust in God and our Constitution),” the legislator added.
Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo said the guilty verdict in the Maguindanao massacre trial is a “triumph” of justice and the rule of law, as well as a “clear reminder” that no one is above the law.
Salo, who chairs the House Committee on Public Information, said Congress must pass laws to protect journalists in conflict zones, election hotspots, and battlegrounds of criminality, considering that the Maguindanao massacre was dubbed as the world’s worst killings of journalists in history where at least 32 media workers were murdered.
“There is a need to enshrine in our laws global benchmarks and best practices on the protection of journalists and ensuring the security, as well as integrity, of elections,” the legislator said.
“We must strengthen voter education and continue to protect our elections against manipulation and violence from warlords, their goons, and their collaborators,’ the lawmaker added.
Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin, meanwhile, stressed the need for much stronger voter education laws and programs, the eradication of private armies, confiscation of all loose firearms, stoppage of all sources of funds of lawless elements, and bans on criminals from any post in government.
“We must find ways to bar criminal warlords from running for all public positions.”
“We must find ways to bar criminal warlords from running for all public positions whether appointive or elective. We must weed out all corrupt and criminal elements from the ranks of the police, the military, and civilian officials,” Garbin said.
“The country needs super strong protections for citizens and the news media covering conflict situations and election hotspots,” the legislator added.
The lawmaker pushed for the measure declaring November 23 as Philippine Press Freedom Day to “honor the memory of those who died that fateful day and to remind future generations to never allow and prevent this kind of massacre and impunity from ever happening again.”
Agusan del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun called on Congress to consider passing the anti-political dynasty measure, arguing that succession management in Philippine politics must not be based on powerful family ties and affiliations, but on principles of good governance, effective public service, and integrity.
“For the larger picture, the Maguindanao Massacre is a result of political warlordism which is true not only in Maguindanao but in other parts of the country and perpetrated by political dynasties. This is a clear message to all voters to never again elect warlords to powerful positions in government from the barangay level up to all national posts,” Fortun said.
“This case should serve as a challenge to all branches of government to wipe out all private armies, seize and destroy all illegal firearms, and prosecute all lawless elements wherever they may be,” the legislator added.
On December 19, 10 years since the massacre, the principal suspects in the case, including Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. alias ‘Unsay’, were found guilty by Branch 221 Presiding Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City.
Fifty-eight people, including the wife, relatives, and supporters of then gubernatorial candidate Mangudadatu, were killed and buried by armed men in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009.
The victims were on their way to Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao to witness the filing of a certificate of candidacy (COC) of Mangudadatu for the 2010 gubernatorial race when the crime was perpetrated.
Other victims include 32 journalists who were supposed to cover Mangudatu’s filing of COC in the local Commission on Elections office in the province.
Around 197 individuals, including 15 members of the controversial Ampatuan clan, were initially implicated in the decade-old Maguindanao massacre, but only 117 were arrested while 80 remained at large.
Out of the arrested, eight have died during the period of trial, including clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. who succumbed to liver cancer in 2015.