”Lahat naman tayo do’n ang kahahantungan,pero hindi dapat sa ganung paraan [Everyone of us will die, but not that way] . . . “

Catherine Nuñez recalls the horrendous end to the life of her son, Victor, three years ago, when he was among the victims of the gruesome massacre of 58 people in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

Three years have passed but Catherine still cries when recalling the story of her son and their family’s quest for justice. Until now, threats, fear and nightmares haunt the family after Victor’s unimaginable death.

“Mahirap pa rin matanggap, sobrang hirap pa din,” Nuñez told The Manila Times.

She last saw Victor in January of 2007 when he went home to Cagayan de Oro province from General Santos City to celebrate New Year’s Eve with them. He cooked their favorite dishes as cooking was Victor’s main hobby.

A few weeks before the tragedy, they had a misunderstanding after Victor failed to come home.

“Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘kelan tayo magkikita? Kung kailan wala na tayong lahat?’ Nagsisi talaga ako na nagsabi ako ng masasakit na salita [I told him, ‘when are we going to meet, when we’re all gone?’ I really regret telling him those painful words],” Catherine sobbed.

Victor Nuñez, then 24, was one of the 34 media workers killed in the infamous Maguindanao Massacre on November 23, 2009. He was a reporter for UNTV sent to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy of former mayor Esmael Mangudadatu of Buluan town when they were stopped, abducted and brutally murdered by a private army led by Andal Ampatuan Jr., son of then-Maguindanao governor, Andal Ampatuan Sr.

Slow wheels of justice
Catherine and the rest of the Maguindanao Massacre victims’ kin lament the slow pace of the trial with only two of the principal suspects—Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Jr.—have been arraigned or an average of one principal suspect arraigned every year and a half.

“Talagang unbelievable, napaka-unbelievable! Parang mockery of justice ito,” said Sonny Fernandez, director of National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

According to Fernandez, the Ampatuan defense team have stalled the proceedings by filing at least 307 motions, while 55 of them filed petitions for bail even though the case was unbailable.

“ . . . the fact na ang dami-daming ebidensya, kahit ba na-tamper yan, na-pollute yung mga evidence, yung back hoe na lang na may nakatatak na property ng Ampatuan, hindi pa ba sapat yan?”

The backhoe with the name of Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. was found on the massacre site and it was used to dig the victims’ graves two days before the massacre. It was the most damaging evidence used in the carnage.

Out of the 196 accused, only 103 have been arrested, 93 remain at large and 28 bear the name Ampatuan.Journalist killings still unpunished

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Maguindanao Massacre is the single most deadly event for journalists ever recorded in world history.

Since the democracy was restored in 1986, the NUJP recorded a total of 154 journalists killed; 104 of these happened under the administration of then president and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Pampanga province, and 14 under the current administration of Presidente Benigno Aquino 3rd.

But only 10 convictions were made of the total number, and no mastermind ever punished, just triggermen put to jail.

“We won’t wonder why kasi mismong si [President] Aquino sa case ng father niyang si [Benigno] “Ninoy” Aquino [Jr.] di nga niya inaaksyunan eh. Diba? E yun pa kayang di niya kamag-anak [We won’t wonder why because even President Aquino is not acting on the case of his father Ninoy. How much more to mere strangers]?” Fernandez told The Manila Times.

Not a single mastermind was ever convicted in all the cases of journalist killings, even when they were possibly identified in some cases. For example, the murder of Gerry Ortega, a broadcast journalist in Palawan province, was allegedly ordered by former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and his brother, former mayor Mario Reyes of Coron. The brothers are currently in hiding with a P2-million bounty for their capture.

The prevailing culture of impunity—the vicious cycle of killings and non-conviction of perpetrators—is
the main reason why journalists are still constant targets of violence, according to Fernandez.

“So paano nga naman matatakot yung perpetrators ng media killings e wala naman silang nakikitang napaparusahan at walang nagagawa ang gobyerno [So how will the perpetrators be afraid to commit such crime if they don’t see any one punished and the government doesn’t do anything about it]?”

Looking forward
Although, Fernandez believes that despite the chilling effect the massacre had among media practitioners around the globe, Filipino media was able to cope and learn from what happened.

“Well in a way, ang problema sa atin bago ‘tong mga killings na ‘to, may event na sugod ka ng sugod sa pagco-cover pero hindi natin ikino-consider ang safety natin [the problem with us before all these killings, there were times we just cover news without considering our safety],” Fernandez said.