Private, state prosecutors’ rift to slow down massacre trial
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Reports of a growing rift between private and government prosecutors have alarmed and saddened the families of journalists killed in the Nov. 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre.
Grace Morales, secretary general of the Justice Now Movement (JNM), told the Philippine Daily Inquirer the rift could further slow down the trial of the cases filed against members of the Ampatuan clan and their minions.
“We are getting worried that justice may not be obtained. DOJ prosecutors play a vital role in our pursuit for justice,” Morales, spokesperson for the relatives of the victims, said.
Morales said she learned that the rift was the result of the acts of some government prosecutors, which were viewed as pro-Ampatuan.
“Distrust started to set in way back the time of then DOJ Secretary Alberto Agra. Then, here comes the report that three ranking officials of the DOJ are trying to manipulate the Ampatuan massacre case,” she said.
Agra himself came under fire for absolving two members of the Ampatuan clan — Zaldy Ampatuan, former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor, and his cousin, Akmad Ampatuan, former Maguindanao vice governor — of responsibility in the massacre on April 16, 2010.
Agra reversed his controversial decision two weeks later when criticisms mounted.
Recently, at least nine government prosecutors signed a petition, asking Quezon City Regional Trial Court branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis to discharge Bong Andal as prosecution witness for his alleged reluctance to give his testimony.
But the Inquirer source called as unusual the government prosecutors move to dismiss Andal, who was being questioned for the past three months only, when they spent three years extracting testimony from Insp. Rex Diongon.
An Inquirer source said out of disgust, Nena Santos withdrew as one of the private prosecutors.
“I just hope and pray that there are public prosecutors who are sincere and committed in doing their duty,” Morales said.
In Davao City, the National Union of Journalist in the Philippines (NUJP) said it has been four years since 32 journalists perished in what has become known as the worst election-related killings in the country but not one of the accused has been convicted yet.
“Of the 197 suspects, no one has been convicted since the hearing began on January 5, 2010. Until now, the case remains on the arraignment stage,” NUJP Davao chair Jessie Casalda said.
Casalda said if justice remained elusive in such a controversial case as the Maguindanao massacre, there would be no hope that justice in less celebrated killings of journalists would be delivered as well.
Many of these killings occurred even before the Maguindanao massacre happened, he said.
But Casalda said the slow grind of justice should serve as inspiration to fight impunity instead of being discouraged by it.
“If we will stop, we can never find justice for the victims,” he said.
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