Justice yes, but reforms doubted

Apparently, they seem to know that the culture of impunity will go on, despite the guilty sentence meted to the accused Ampatuans and their cohorts.

The guilty verdict on the Ampatuan massacre case was expected, given the pressure from the media. To be clear, however, this is not to say that the judge in the case, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, bowed to the pressure exerted as she has certainly proved that she has grit and determination, which some judges have failed to display in some cases they handle.

The primary accused in the Ampatuan massacre case Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. and his brother Zaldy Ampatuan were found guilty during the promulgation of the decision for the case on Thursday, 19 December.

They were convicted on 57 counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. But two other Ampatuans, Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan Sr. and Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan, were acquitted of their alleged involvement in the killings on 23 November 2009.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Ampatuan massacre case will probably mean a promotion for Judge Solis-Reyes, and should that happen, she certainly deserves the promotion — especially after she decided to stay on with the case for years and ruled on it.

With the guilty verdict passed by the judge on the case, the relatives of the victims reportedly felt that justice has been done. But as the law goes, appeals are the next step for the convicted to take, and if yet another guilty verdict is passed by the appellate court, then the case goes to the Supreme Court for final sentencing, which would take a very long time.

The question now is whether the conviction of the Ampatuans and the acquittal of about half of the accused would lead to a stop of such massacres and other murders of journalists, since media, for years, have made the Ampatuan massacre appear as though the massacre of 58 (57 really, since the body of the reported 58th victim was never found) was a press freedom fight.

But there is doubt that the guilty sentence would change things in Muslim Mindanao, where there seems to be a “kill” culture, or even change things for other media persons assigned to dangerous places.

Through the years, there have been many Filipino journalists who have disappeared and have probably been murdered, yet to this day, their relatives have not found justice. If the Ampatuan massacre made the headlines and stayed in the media’s mind for so long, it was mainly because the massacre of 32 media persons was too gruesome and the number of deaths in just a day was just too high.

This massacre has been called the worst election-related killing in history, as well as the worst attack on journalists.

Even after the guilty verdict was passed by the judge on some of the accused, the relatives of the murdered victims claimed they continue to fear for their safety if not their lives, as it was reported that some of them are afraid that those who were either acquitted or those in hiding might get back at them, and they are not ready to let their guard down.

Some were quoted as saying, “We have families in Mindanao, and we can’t just erase fears of possible retribution.”

Ricardo Cachuela, brother of a murdered journalist, expressed the same fear, saying, “We can’t help thinking that those convicted might turn to those acquitted for help in harassing us, or worse,” adding that “throughout the 10 years, we’ve felt their powerful influence because they have the money.”

Apparently, they seem to know that the culture of impunity will go on, despite the guilty sentence meted to the accused Ampatuans and their cohorts.

Former Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te reportedly doubts that the conviction could end impunity on its own as dismantling the long-ingrained culture of impunity needs a “consistent pattern of being able to apprehend those who have committed crimes or felonies, to try and convict them and have the sentence executed.”

There were other optimistic claims for advocacy groups, with them saying that the verdict on the Ampatuan massacre case should lead to reforms to address the culture of impunity in the Philippines and the existence of “private armies” serving politicians.

Rights and journalist groups said the murder conviction of the members of the Ampatuan clan for the 2009 Maguindanao massacre should prompt government and advocates to step up their efforts in fighting impunity and dismantling private armies.

That’s being too optimistic. Dismantling private armies is a near impossible task, given various kingpins in certain provincial areas, where some of their constituents pledge loyalty to the kingpins at times, in exchange for their protection.

But perhaps, it could prove to be a first step towards the end of the reign of kingpins, with courts and judges unafraid to mete true justice on the powerful and the murderous.