Ampatuan massacre case ‘almost done’ after 8 years: lawyer

GENERAL Santos City–After eight years, the families of the slain victims of the infamous Ampatuan massacre are seeing a flicker of hope as a resolution of the case is at hand, a lone private prosecutor said.

In an interview, lawyer Nena Santos said the case is “almost done” because the hearing of the 112 suspects who were arraigned since 2009 is starting to wrap up.

“So after the presentation of evidence of the last five or 10 accused then wrap up na. The judge can resolve the case for all accused,” she said.

To speed up the issuance of the resolution of the cases, Santos said they ensure that witnesses are presented before the court every week.

The presentation of the defense was scheduled Nov. 22 and 23, and again on Dec. 6, 7, 13, and 14, respectively.

Since the case was filed in 2009, Santos said there were 115 arrested out of the 196 accused. Out of the 115, three became state witnesses, while four died during the case proceedings, including the Ampatuan patriarch, Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr.

The incident was known as the single deadliest attack on media practitioners.

Currently, there are 102 suspects who are still languishing in jail, but 70 of them were already granted with bail. But due to lack of money, Santos said they remain in jail. Meanwhile, 42 accused were granted with no bail.

Santos said the release of Datu Sajid Ampatuan, son of the former Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr., after his bail was granted in March 2015 proves there are still challenges ahead.

The Court of Appeals affirmed its decision this year in granting bail to the younger Ampatuan while dozens of suspects remain at large.

She stressed, however, that the families of the victims should not stop in pushing for the case resolution because even if the criminal aspect of the case is resolved, there is still the civil aspect.

“Baka magkaroon pa ng civil liability later,” Santos said about the administrative charges that may be filed against the officials who masterminded the massacre.

The lack of lawyers to defend the families of the victims remains a challenge.

Santos said she is the only remaining prosecutor who is the most accessible to the victims. She said she is handling at least 30 cases.

Another four families sought for her assistance during the meeting here last week.

Lawyer Jo Clemente, the acting chairperson of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said they remain positive on the issuance of the case’s resolution.

“But of course it’s still going to be a rough road, alam naman nating may mga succeeding appeals pa na mangyayari kung sakaling ma-convict,” Clemente said.

Despite this, Clemente said, the resolution of the Ampatuan massacre would not only give justice to the families of the 58 people killed in Maguindanao, but would also make an impact to break the culture of impunity in the Philippines.

“It will provide a landmark decision that would really say that justice prevails in this country,” she said.

The NUJP has recorded 172 murders of journalists from 1986 to 2016. (davao today)