Seventy-eight suspects in the bloody Maguindanao Massacre in 2009 pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on the 58th murder charge filed against them at Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 on Wednesday.
The latest murder charge was filed in September 2012 when QC RTC Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes ordered the arraignment, saying there was probable cause to support the charge against the suspects for the murder of Midland Review photojournalist Reynaldo Momay.
According to private prosecutor Harry Roque, the suspects–former Maguindanao Governor Andal Amptauan Sr., his sons former Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., and former Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and 75 others–pleaded not guilty at the makeshift court in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.
“We are glad that, finally, the arraignment for the 58th victim was finally done”, Roque said.
It was originally alleged that there were 57 victims in the Maguindanao Massacre since Momay’s remains were not recovered at the crime scene along Sitio Masalay in Barangay Salman in the town of Ampatuan.
His daughter Reynafe, eager to seek justice for her fallen father, appealed to the Department of Justice, promtping it to conduct a probe in March. It decided to add the late photojournalist in the list of victims since the Scene of the Crime operatives found his dentures and a jacket that his daughter said was Momay’s wrapped around the body of another victim.
Momay was a photojournalist for local newspaper, Midland Review, who, together with 57 other victims died in the bloodiest recorded incident of election violence in the country in November 2009.
Maguindanao Governor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu was not surprised the suspects pleaded not guilty although he said he remains confident that the suspects will be prosecuted.
“We already expected it from their camp but we are all still confident that in the end all of us, the victims of this tragedy will prevail”, Mangudadatu said.
More than 100 suspects are already in police custody, while around 90 are still at large or are in hiding.
The victims were part of convoy that was supposed to register the then-Buluan town vice-mayor Mangudadatu in his bid for the gubernatorial post of the province in the 2010 polls, going up against the ruling Ampatuan clan candidate, then Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr.
Mangudadatu, who was re-elected in mid-term elections earlier this months said he once doubted the justice system in the country since the case has been pending for almost four years now. On Wednesday, he said he has seen progress in the case and is satisfied with how things are going, especially as long as witnesses in the case remain protected by the government.–JC Cahinhinan
Photo: A tree planted at the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication to mark the third anniversary of the massacre/Ramon F Velasquez
