MEMBERS of the media in Cagayan de Oro City gathered at the Press Freedom Monument at the Capitol grounds Wednesday, November 23, to light candles and offer prayers for the victims of the November 23, 2009 Maguindanao Massacre.
Cagayan de Oro Press Club President and Roman Catholic priest Elmer Abacahin celebrated a mass at the foot of the memorial for slain journalists for the 32 journalists and media workers, part of a group of 58 people killed in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao on November 23, 2009.
“In our attempt to do our job as the fourth state, the watchdog of the society, we have been abused and killed. As the media, we have tried to deliver the truth even at the expense of our own lives, however, as long as we, who are the living members of the media continue, to fight for the truth, we hopefully will achieve justice,” Abacahin said.
The massacre seven years ago, considered as the worst case of election-related violence in the country, was allegedly masterminded by the late Andal Ampatuan Sr. who was then Maguindanao governor.
Ampatuan Sr. died while in detention of liver cancer July last year.
The Supreme Court (SC) Wednesday released an update on the murder cases filed against the 197 suspects in the gruesome killing.
According to the Court, there are only three major incidents left for the resolution of the murder charges filed against 106 accused, which are now being tried in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court:
1. The resolution of the bail application of accused Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan, Jr., and subsequently his trial-in-chief,
2. The resolution of the remaining defense Formal Offer of Evidence, and
3. The conclusion of the presentation of defense evidence.
“After all of the parties have rested, these murder cases would then be submitted for the decision of the court,” the SC said.
The cases originally involved 197 accused, 15 of whom are surnamed Ampatuan, relatives of the alleged orchestrator of the Maguindanao massacre, Andal Ampatuan Jr., the former mayor of Datu Unsay Maguindanao.
According to the SC, 114 of these accused are already arrested, one case was dismissed for lack of probable cause, one was dropped by virtue of a Joint Order, and two had been discharged as state witnesses.
Four of the accused, including Andal Ampatuan, Sr., died while in detention. (Abigail Viguella/Keith A. Calayag/Sunnex)