Transparency
It was a long wait but the Supreme Court finally approved the live media coverage of the Maguindanao Massacre trial more than a year after the mass murder was committed.
A live broadcast was no small boost to the families whose loved ones were caught in the crossfire of the political rivalry between the Ampatuans and the Mangandatus, a rivalry that claimed the lives of women and media practitioners in the worst bloodbath of journalists in the country.
There are valid worries about a live coverage of the trial—protection of the witnesses, selective media coverage to the detriment of the respondents who still deserve a fair, impartial trial.
But in voting to have the trial covered live, the High Court justices noted the impossibility of accommodating all parties in the trial, with its parade of witnesses and counterclaimants.
Live media coverage on TV and radio would hopefully temper Ampatuan lawyers who have a penchant for dilatory tactics that could tie up the legal battle for years.
This is where transparency comes in.
The public may not be well-versed in legalese, but they know when they are being fooled by procedural road blocks and high courtroom drama.
While the live media coverage has its benefits, the problem of attention span as pointed out by some Cebu media practitioners gains significance.
Bogging down the trial are legal arguments and requests for rest from the respondents, the most senior of whom is an elderly Mindanao politician who has seen too many political wars. He could probably last only a few days in jail or under the glare of the media spotlight.
Ground rules that limit broadcast coverage of the trial may be narrowed down more if the judge decides the proceedings are getting out of hand.
We’re not even talking about the opposition by allies of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo against live coverage of the massacre trial for the obvious reason that she may be dragged down and summoned as a witness or, worse, become the subject of a new trial.
But let justice be done though the heavens fall, as the Romans would say.
If it means digging up the dirt on the patronage of the Ampatuan clan by the former Arroyo administration, then so be it.
A monstrous crime was committed by an obscenely powerful clan on the eve of the last election season.
We thank the Supreme Court for deciding that the public has the right to know that justice will be served to the victims , their families and the Filipino people.
