THE Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre because of the location where it happened and the persons who "allegedly" committed the massacre were identified as the Ampatuans, is already 15 years ago today. But has justice been fully served to the victims and their families?
Dubbed the world’s "worst single-day murder of media workers and the worst case of election-related violence" in the Philippines' history, the Maguindanao massacre left not only the relatives of the victims and the Filipinos aghast but the whole world.
Andal Ampatuan Jr., the former mayor of Ampatauan town in Maguindanao province, and several of his politically powerful relatives were pointed to as responsible for the killing of 58 people, including family members of their political rival, 32 journalists, and several witnesses on November 23, 2009.
A decade and 26 days later after the crime was committed, Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes of Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 221 convicted the Ampatuan brothers — namely Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan of 57 counts of murder and sentenced to reclusion perpetua without parole.
The convicted were also demanded to pay various amounts of damages and compensation to the victims' families.
However, 15 years have passed and the families of the victims still cannot absolutely say that justice has been fully served.
RR Morales, brother of Rosell Morales, one of the journalists of News Focus in General Santos City killed in the massacre, revealed that until now they have not been paid the damages and compensation and those promised by the government such as scholarships for their children have not been fulfilled.
“Sa aking pananaw hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin namin nakakamit ang hustisya na para sa amin, yung parang napag-iwanan na kami ng mga taong nasa sa umpisa lang sumusuporta (In my view, until now we have not obtained justice that is due for us, it's like we have been left behind by time by those people who only supported us at the start)," Morales said on a gloomy morning of November 16.
“Patuloy pa rin kami lumalaban sa hustisya na sana makamit na namin at yung nanawagan din kami sa gobyerno na sana ibigay na ang kompensasyon na para sa amin na para at least man lang makatulong sa amin dahil nahihirapan din kami na nawala yung mga taong sumusuporta sa amin, hanggang ngayon nagugulila kami (We continue to fight for justice hoping that we can fully obtain it. And we are also calling on the government to grant us the compensation that due for us to so that at least this could help us after our providers, whom we missed so much, have gone)," Morales added in an interview with Sunstar Davao.