When truth-seekers become victims

After almost ten years, the so-called trial of the century of the gruesome Maguindanao massacre finally had a closure. But this dark chapter in our country’s deadly political environment is not yet over. Highly paid lawyers of the principal accused in this case have already declared their every intention to appeal the conviction of their clients all the way to the Supreme Court, if need be. 

More than the issue of press freedom and human rights violations of the 57 massacre victims, this was the single biggest election-related violence that took place on that fateful day of Nov. 23, 2009 in Maguindanao. This was several months before the holding of the May 2010 presidential elections.

The 32 Filipino journalists who lost their lives in the coverage of this election campaign event merely gave impetus that the political warlords behind this dastardly act should not go unpunished. But since the 57 victims included reporters and other members of Philippine media, this incident placed our country on top of the world list as the “most dangerous place” for working journalists.  

It gained the notorious tag as Maguindanao massacre because it took place in Sitio Masalay in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao headed by a known political warlord family headed by Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his sons, Mayor Andal Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan who was then the Governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).  

The victims were waylaid by heavily armed group of men loyal to the Ampatuan political clan who included policemen in their payroll. Their convoy of vehicles was on their way to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office in Shariff Aguak town to file the certificate of candidacy of then Buluan town Vice-Mayor now Congressman Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu who sought to challenge the stranglehold of the Ampatuans in their province. But at the last minute, the Vice Mayor sent instead his wife and two sisters to file candidacy on his behalf. It was on the thinking the women would not be harmed if only the Ampatuans would abide by their Islamic religious teaching. 

The convoy sadly never reached the Comelec provincial office when a large group of armed men stopped them at gunpoint. When the grisly crime was discovered several hours later, all the victims were found buried along with their vehicles with the use of a backhoe.

And as we say, the rest is history that we hope will never be repeated in our country.

On the eve of the promulgation of the much-celebrated case of the Maguindanao massacre, we have invited to our Kapihan sa Manila Bay last Wednesday Secretary Martin Andanar, chief of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), the government agency regarded as the chief protector of the working members of the Philippine media.

A former broadcaster before he joined the government, Andanar firmly believes a verdict of guilt and conviction of people directly involved in the Maguindanao massacre would finally deliver justice to the still grieving families of the 57 victims.

As expected, the late Ampatuan patriarch along with sons Andal Jr., Zaldy and 26 others were all found guilty with 15 other co-accused, and convicted for conspiracy to commit the crime. They were all immediately transferred from Camp Bagong Diwa detention in Taguig City where they were all jailed during the trial and remanded to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City to serve their sentence of perpetual jail without parole.

Aired live by state-run PTV-4, one of the attached media entities under the PCOO, Andanar emphasized President Rodrigo Duterte has been closely monitoring the progress of this trial that began two administrations ahead of him.

Speaking in our weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay at Café Adriatico, Andanar is hopeful that the Philippines would be finally removed from the infamous list of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) that dubbed the Philippines as the deadliest peacetime country for journalists in Southeast Asia. “Because of this, the Philippines stayed as one of the top five most dangerous countries for journalists. Once the verdict is out, and it is favorable to the victims, we will be removed – for sure – from that list,” Andanar sounded his hopes.

The IFJ also ranked the Philippines as the worst offender in media impunity in Southeast Asia because of its high number of media killings. “This (Maguindanao massacre) is the single biggest case against us, and most bloody that happened to journalists here,” he rued.

In the same Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio also weighed in on the issue by lashing out at the President’s critics. He accused certain foreign-owned organizations believed in their own spin of the President’s attacks against certain media members critical of his administration.

Andanar also debunked report which saw the Philippines slipping one notch further in World Press Freedom Index of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières, RSF). In its 2019 survey, the Philippines dipped a notch lower to 134th spot out of 180 countries from the previous year’s ranking. He conceded though that the slow dispensation of justice was among the reasons why the Philippines got such a low assessment from the RSF.

Andanar noted President Duterte has proven his sincerity in defending the rights of media to expose banalities and corruption in the government though at times bitterly critical of the much-ballyhooed corruption of certain segments of the Philippine media. The PCOO chief specifically pointed to the President’s issuance of Administrative Order No. 1 that created the Presidential Task Force on Media Security.

In fact, he cited the President’s support for the approval of the Media Welfare Act pending before the 18th Congress. The bill, among other things, seeks to provide enhanced protection, security and benefits such as but not limited to the grant of mandatory additional state insurance coverage to Filipino journalists who, as truth-seekers, become victims in the performance of their job.