Rody vows justice for Maguindanao massacre victims

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has promised the families of the victims of the Maguindanao massacre that they would get justice during his term. 

Duterte met with the relatives of the victims in Malacañang during the eighth anniversary of the carnage on Thursday.  

“The President gave specific instructions to (Justice Secretary Vitaliano) Aguirre, the PTFoMS (Presidential Task Force on Media Security) and state prosecutors handling the case… to see to it that a conviction would be handed down to the principal accused at the soonest time possible,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said yesterday.

Roque said the President also instructed his aide Christopher  “Bong” Go to provide employment, scholarship and financial assistance to the families of the victims.

Fifty-eight people, including 32 journalists, were killed in the massacre on Nov. 23, 2009. 

The journalists were on their way to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy of then Buluan vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu when they were snatched by armed men and killed in Ampatuan town.

Political rivalry was believed to be the motive for the killing because Mangudadatu was running against Andal Ampatuan Jr., the mayor of Datu Unsay at the time.

Malacañang is confident the case will be resolved in four years.

Meanwhile, the peace and order councils of Maguindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said a reward should be offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspects in the massacre who remain at large, including the two grandsons of the alleged mastermind, former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

Of the 188 accused, 106 are detained, two freed on bail, one released because of the writ of habeas corpus and three died while in jail.