Culture of impunity, warlordism still alive 8 years after massacre

THE culture of impunity and warlordism which paved the way to the bloodiest electoral violence in the country, the Ampatuan massacre, eight years ago is still very much alive under the Duterte administration, human rights advocates and journalists pointed out in separate statements yesterday.

In an e-mailed statement, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines acting chair Jo Clemente said justice has remained elusive eight years since 58 individuals, 32 of whom were media workers, were massacred in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

“It should not have been too farfetched to hope–even expect–that an outrage of such magnitude would have shamed government into ensuring justice was swift and that such killings ended or, at least, substantially reduced. It was, sadly, too much to hope for. Eight years hence, justice remains as elusive as it was on Nov. 23, 2009,” Clemente said.

For her part, Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, said they are also hopeful that the more than 100 individuals charged with 58 counts of murder would be convicted soon, but said those that allowed the widespread presence and proliferation of “private armies” should also be prosecuted and made accountable.

The NUJP pointed out that of the 198 suspects in the massacre, only 115 have been arrested and 112 have been arraigned. Four of those arrested have died in the course of the proceedings, including the primary suspect and mastermind Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr.

“It is a governance of expediency by which all presidents, bar none, court the loyalty of the warlords, crime lords and corrupt clans who infest Philippine politics and rule their bailiwicks like fiefdoms, because this is the only way they can rule effectively,” Clemente pointed out.

Clemente said the same culture of impunity is still stifling press freedom especially with a president “who not only have justified media killings as fitting retribution for supposed corruption — a blanket accusation not backed by any proof — and openly incites the harassment of media outfits and individual journalists he deems objectionable.”

Palabay concurred with Clemente saying “warlordism is very much alive under Duterte.”

“Notwithstanding alleged armed groups formed as death squads and ‘gun-for-hire’ for the regime’s ‘wars’ against the people, the Duterte regime formed Kilusang Pagbabago-Masa Masid from public funds, as a machinery for propaganda and surveillance, and a not-so-different and new tool for stifling basic freedoms of people and communities, fascist-style,” said Palabay.

Clemente, however, assured that the NUJP and the independent news media outfits would not be coerced into surrendering their duty to serve the people’s right to know.

“We survived Ferdinand Marcos’ attempt to control the free flow of information and know we will do so again should any regime try a repeat,” said Clemente. (cbc)