“Resolving the case would have deeper meaning for a nation which reels in the thought that justice is hard to attain for those who do not have the resources to go through years of litigation.

Had there been a more resolute action from the previous government on the infamous Maguindanao massacre, it would not have taken the ascension of President Rody Duterte to have many of those responsible indicted.

Promulgation of the court’s decision on the case has been scheduled and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said state prosecutors did their best to give justice to the victims of the 2009 abomination.

In the previous administration, efforts to prosecute members of the Ampatuan clan for the 23 November 2009 genocide of 58 individuals including 32 newsmen moved painfully slow.

This was apparently exploited by the rich Maguindanao warlord clan as reports of millions of pesos in bribes and threats made to prosecutors, the victims’ families and witnesses made the rounds.

A total of 117 people has been arrested, including members of the Ampatuan clan. Seven of them died while in detention, including former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. However, there are still 80 accused who remain at large.

Former President Noynoy Aquino instituted a token effort on the case, which was the creation of a body headed by then Justice secretary now detained Sen. Leila de Lima that focused on cases of human rights abuses, particularly extralegal killings that would include the 58 massacre victims.

The creation of the body was also triggered by international criticisms then that Aquino had done nothing to improve the dismal human rights record of the government under his administration particularly in resolving the gruesome case.

Those representing the victims in the court noted that the creation of Noynoy’s human rights super body was not necessary and merely a media stunt.

Many even suspected that the wheels of justice turned excruciatingly slow during the term of Noynoy due to political considerations since the Ampatuans were known Aquino allies.

The Ampatuans owe a great deal in ascending the political ladder in Mindanao to the Aquinos since Noynoy’s mother, the late former President Cory Aquino, appointed the deceased Ampatuan patriarch, Andal Sr., as officer-in-charge of Sharif Aguak, from where he built up his political dynasty to practically take control of the whole Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Since the time of Cory, the Ampatuans’ influence grew to reach the notoriety of being an untouchable clan as the police and even the courts in that region fear handling cases involving the Ampatuans.

Rody, nonetheless, made good his promise that everything will be done under his administration to have closure to the mass murder that placed the country at the top of the list of nations where political killings pervade.

“Ten years of delayed justice are intolerable and ignominious. We are hopeful that the law will prevail and the court will rule in favor of the victims’ families, putting an end to the injustice they have had to endure for years, as the decision on the case will be out soon,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar, himself a journalist, said

“We will work to prevent and put an end to attacks on journalists, who are simply fulfilling their obligations to disseminate truth and information to the public. In cases where they are harmed or killed, we will aim to deliver swift justice and make the perpetrators answer to the law,” Andanar added.

Resolving the case would have deeper meaning for a nation which reels in the thought that justice is hard to attain for those who do not have the resources to go through years of litigation.

Rendering justice to the victims of the massacre also deals a heavy blow to those who rely on the laggard judiciary to literally get away with murder.