Category: Maguindanao massacre

Reynaldo Momay, Vice Vulgar

Ellen Leave a comment

Momay's ID

Momay’s ID

“It took our family 32 months of waiting before the court has officially recognized my father as the 58th victim of the gruesome killing and 42 months before the arraignment of suspects took place,” wrote Ma Reynafe Momay Castillo in her Facebook page.

It’s a bit strange to feel thankful to get confirmation that your father was one of those murdered but it’s definitely a step forward in the search for justice for the victims of the most gruesome crimes that this country has experienced.

Ma. Reynafe’s father was photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay. He was included in the list of victims of the Nov. 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre only last year (July 2, 2012) because his body was never found.

Rowena Paraan, chairperson of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said Momay’s s name and signature are in a list believed to be the attendance sheet of journalists who joined the ill-fated convoy of the wife of Esmail “Toto” Mangudadatu, now Maguindanao governor, which was waylaid and massacred by the group of Andal Ampatuan, Jr.

“ He is number 21 on the said list. Authorities found his dentures and jacket at the crime scene in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town,” Paraan said.

Last Wednesday, the 78 suspects in the Maguindanao massacre were arraigned in the murder of Momay.

Ma Reynafe wrote: “I was deeply saddened by the recent news that 78 of the arraigned suspects in the killing of my father have pleaded “Not Guilty” before the court. While I expected this move from them, it is still alarming to realize that these accused have been trying to escape from the rule of law as they pleaded the same thing to the 57 victims of the Ampatuan-Maguindanao massacre. I wish I was there to look at their faces and eyes as they filed their plea.

“It took our family 32 months of waiting before the court has officially recognized my father as the 58th victim of the gruesome killing and 42 months before the arraignment of suspects took place. While it was long overdue, I did not stop pursuing the case against the suspects. I am thankful to my lawyers for their untiring assistance to my case. We always say that justice delayed is justice denied. Despite the years of waiting, I remain hopeful and pray that justice will soon be served for the 58 lives lost in the massacre and their families, including more than a hundred of children and orphans who were traumatized and haunted by the killing. Patience is a virtue of justice. In God’s own time and perfect timing, I still believe that justice will be served for the 58. They will have justice here on earth and in heaven. God sees the hearts and tears of the widows and orphans and thus He will answer their prayers. It’s a promise, and I will claim that promise until the end.”

We, the members of Philippine media, share the frustrations of the families of the victims. But we have no recourse but to persevere until we obtain justice.
***

GMA-7’s Jessica Soho has good reasons to doubt the sincerity of the so-called public apology of ABS-CBN’s host Vice Ganda. (Ganda does not fit him.) He is Vice Vulgar.

“I sincerely hope and pray that this was done with the purest intentions and determination to put this issue behind us,”Soho said conducting herself with dignity all throughout this controversy.

His non-apology smacked of arrogance and bitchiness. He even had the gall to say, “Sa lahat ng mga nagsalita sa akin ng masama, lalo na ‘yung hindi nakapanood at nakaparinig lang, okay lang. Kung hindi niyo ako naunawaan, ako ang uunawa sa inyo. Siya pa ngayon ang mag-uunawa.”

Siya pa ngayon ang mag-uunawa. Ang kapal talaga.

As Lorenzo Leviste said in Facebook: “The Horse With No Shame.”

Here are some reactions to Vice Vulgar’s non-apology in Facebook:

Daphne Ceniza said,“Definitely no remorse at all and the tone is a bit patronizing.”

Ernie Reyes: Hindi ko naramdaman ang kahit gahiblang sinseridad sa kanyang paghingi ng paumanhin bagkus nagyabang pa sa bandang huli sa pagsasabing ‘Sa hindi nakakaintindi, ako na lamang ang iintindi sa inyo’ which was for me rude.

To Itty Gaerlan, it was a“ half-assed apology that barely acknowledges his mistake to Jessica Soho. Yet his take on rape, his trivializing this, offended not only Ms. Soho–but the millions of silent, voiceless victims of gender-based violence, and their advocates.”

She extended an invitation to Vice Vulgar: “Halika, vice ganda-gandahan, pakikilala kita sa ilan sa mga biktima. Harapin mo sila at saka mo i-deliver ‘yang ‘”You-can-never-please-everyone’ spiel mong ‘yan.”

Vice Vulgar said in an online news report that he and the ABS-CBN bosses have decided that his concert tour will proceed despite the controversy. There are two things those enraged with Vice Vulgar can do: boycott and picket his shows.

‘Patience is a virtue, so is persistence’ – Momay kin

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

THE DAUGHTER of the 58th victim of the Maguindanao Massacre says she was saddened by the not guilty plea entered by 78 of the suspects who were arraigned for her father’s murder, but said that, as before, patience and persistence will carry her family through.

Reynafe Momay-Castillo, the daughter of Sultan Kudarat photojournalist Reynaldo Momay, made the statement following the arraignment of 78 suspects in her father’s murder yesterday. Castillo is currently in another country where she has been working since last year.

Momay was formally recognized as the 58th Maguindanao Massacre victim last year, after a wait of three years by the Momay family. This was because Momay’s body has never been found, although some of his personal effects such as dentures were found in the crime scene. Under Philippine law, families may have to wait up to three or four years before a missing relative is declared legally dead.

On Friday, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court arraigned former Autonomous Region on Muslim Mindanao Governor Zaldy Ampataun, his brother Andal Ampatuan Jr., and 76 others for the murder of Momay. Clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. was able to evade arraignment because of pending motions before the court.

“I was deeply saddened by the recent news that 78 of the arraigned suspects in the killing of my father have pleaded “NOT GUILTY” before the court. While I expected this move from them, it is still alarming to realize that these accused have been trying to escape from the rule of law as they pleaded the same thing to the 57 victims of the Ampatuan-Maguindanao massacre. I wish I was there to look at their faces and eyes as they filed their plea,” Castillo said in a statement she posted on her Facebook wall.

Castillo stressed that persistence was the key to the inclusion of her father’s case in the main case for the Maguindanao Massacre. She said it took almost three years of hard work to get government to include her father in the case.

“It took our family 32 months of waiting before the court has officially recognized my father as the 58th victim of the gruesome killing and 42 months before the arraignment of suspects took place. While it was long overdue, I did not stop pursuing the case against the suspects,” Castillo said.

“Patience is a virtue of justice. In God’s own time and perfect timing, I still believe that justice will be served for the 58. They will have justice here on earth and in heaven. God sees the hearts and tears of the widows and orphans and thus He will answer their prayers. It’s a promise, and I will claim that promise until the end,” she added.

 

Ampatuan suspects plead not guilty to murder of 58th victim

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

by Cong B. Corrales

A QUEZON CITY COURT today arraigned 78 Maguindanao Massacre suspects for the murder of the 58th victim, but deferred the arraignment of suspected mastermind and clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr.  and several others due to “pending unresolved motions.”

The 78 who were arraigned for the murder of Sultan Kudarat photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay include former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, his brother Andal Jr, and 76 others. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.

Momay had not been included in the original list of murder victims because his body was never found. Under Philippine law, several years have to lapse before a missing person is declared legally dead.

The court however decided to defer the arraignment of Andal Sr., five other clan members, and seven other suspects for Momay’s murder because of several motions they had previously filed before the court.

National Union of Journalists of the Philippines chairperson Rowena Paraan, in an update emailed to media organizations, reported that Zaldy, Andal Jr., and the others who were arraigned had entered a not guilty plea. The Ampatuan trial is being held by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

“However, pending unresolved motions, the court deferred the arraignment of clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., five other clan members, and seven other suspects,” Paraan said. Andal Sr. and the other Maguindanao massacre suspects had earlier pleaded not guilty for the murders of 57 other massacre victims.

Paraan said there are 196 suspects in the Maguindanao massacre, considered the worst case of election violence in the Philippines, and the worst single case of media murders in the world. Of these suspects, only 106 have been arrested, and no one has been convicted in the four years since charges were filed.

It can be recalled that Momay was formally included as a victim eight months after the Department of Justice (DOJ) found probable cause to file a case on his behalf.

Although Momay’s body remains missing to this day, police Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) found his dentures and a jacket–identified by his daughter Reynafe Momay-Castillo as his father’s — wrapped around the body of another victim at the crime scene in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town, Maguindanao province.

The Ampatuan massacre, which has led international media organizations to declare every 23rd of November as the International Day to End Impunity, claimed 58 individuals, 32 of whom were media workers. In its latest special report on Impunity Index, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has ranked the Philippines third worst in the world. Worse, the country ranked third for the fourth consecutive year.

“The insecurity of witnesses is a key problem in addressing impunity. Authorities in the Philippines, ranked third worst on CPJ’s index, have yet to make headway in the prosecution of dozens of suspects in a politically motivated massacre in Maguindanao province that claimed the lives of more than 50 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, in 2009. Three witnesses in the Maguindanao case have themselves been murdered, one of them dismembered and mutilated,” the report reads.

Never forget: The Ampatuan massacre

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

text and photos by
Cong B. Corrales

JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA WORKERS held a photo exhibit, ecumenical prayer and candle-lighting ceremony on Thursday (May 23) in New Manila, Quezon City to remember the victims of the grisly Ampatuan Massacre that shocked the world 42 months ago, and remind the nation of the continuing reign of the culture of impunity in the country.

The travelling exhibit dubbed “Never Forget: The Ampatuan Massacre” opened in the morning at the National Cathedral of St. Mary and St. John, 277 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Quezon City. This travelling exhibit includes photographs of Jes Aznar, Nonoy Espina, and Veejay Villafranca, Vincent Go, among others. The exhibit shows how the nation moves forward from the gruesome murder that exposes how impunity works at its worst. Never Forget has been displayed in schools, churches, and government institutions such as the Congress and Senate.

Media groups led by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), as well as journalists from different media outfits, capped off the whole-day memorial with an ecumenical prayer, a short program and a candle-lighting for the victims of impunity.

In her speech during the program, Rowena Paraan, NUJP national chairperson said that while the media community continues to remember the the victims of the massacre, journalists and media workers across the nation should also fight against the continued culture of impunity under the Aquino administration.

“Why must PNoy wait for 2016? He must do what he can to stop this culture of impunity now,” said Paraan.

For her part, Edith Tiamzon—wife of Ampatuan Massacre victim Daniel, a UNTV cameraman—expressed her gratitude for the media community’s continued support.

“Kahit na parang hindi umuusad ang kaso, nagpapasalamat ako sa suporta ninyo. Nagbibigay ito ng lakas ng loob magpatuloy hanggang makamit natin ang hustiya,” Tiamzon told journalists and media workers.

Forty-two months ago, police and militiamen supposedly led by Andal Ampatuan Jr. waylaid a convoy that was supposed to file the candidacy papers of Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu. The incident on November 23, 2009 led to the death of 58 people, including 32 journalists, and has since been known as the worst case of election-related violence in recent years. The massacre has also been known as the single most brazen attack against journalists and media workers.

The Ampatuan massacre has earned the country the dubious role of being the international poster cover of impunity. The International Freedom of Expression Exchange Network (IFEX)—a federation of 90 independent organizations worldwide—has declared every 23rd of November, as the International Day to End Impunity.

Forty-two months since the massacre, 99 of the 196 accused are still at large. Exacerbating this is the snail-paced trials brought about by 750 pleadings (motions, manifestations, petitions, comments) filed; 540 of which are filed by the defense panel. There are still 103 of the 307 motions filed by both the defense and prosecution have yet to be resolved by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221. One of the witnesses have been killed and another one allegedly committed suicide.

In its latest special report on Impunity Index, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has ranked the Philippines third worst in the world. Worse, the country ranked third for the fourth consecutive year. War-torn Iraq and Somalia ranked first and second, respectively.

The country’s impunity index rating this year is “0.580 unsolved journalist murders per million inhabitants.” Last year, CPJ also ranked the Philippines third worst in the world with a rating of 0.589.

“Despite President Benigno Aquino III’s vow to reverse impunity in journalist murders, the Philippines ranked third worst worldwide for the fourth consecutive year. Fifty-five journalist murders have gone unsolved in the past decade,” the May 2, 2013 special report of CPJ entitled “Getting away with murder,” reads in part. The CPJ—founded in 1981—is an independent, non-profit organization that advocates for “press freedom worldwide by defending the rights of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal.”

Published yearly, CPJ’s Impunity Index special report monitors “countries where journalists are killed regularly and governments fail to solve the crimes.” The 2013 Impunity Index report covers media killings which have remained unsolved from January 1, 2003 to December 31 last year. CPJ’s report this year lists 12 countries since they listed only countries with five or more unsolved cases. The group considers a case unsolved “when no convictions have been won.”

The CPJ report has identified the government’s inability to secure the witnesses of media killings as its foremost obstacle in ending the culture of impunity in the country.

“The insecurity of witnesses is a key problem in addressing impunity. Authorities in the Philippines, ranked third worst on CPJ’s index, have yet to make headway in the prosecution of dozens of suspects in a politically motivated massacre in Maguindanao province that claimed the lives of more than 50 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, in 2009. Three witnesses in the Maguindanao case have themselves been murdered, one of them dismembered and mutilated,” the report reads.

Lanao Sur: Zero incident so far in seat of ‘Hello, Garci’ scandal

mcmangahas Leave a comment

MARAWI CITY — Election reform activists and watchdogs, and election officials have expressed hope that the unusual calm in Lanao del Sur today, eve of election day, will not be the calm before the storm.

As of 4 pm Sunday, not a single election-related incident has been monitored by the Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Reforms in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (C-CARE), except for an incident in Masiu town where supporters of a candidate for mayor tried to bar the transport of PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) machines into one village.

Even then, no violent incident ensued.

On Friday, a woman in Marantao was wounded in a drive-by shooting but election monitors deployed in the town said that it was related to a rido case.

At the C-CARE election monitoring center, the incident tally sheets for 38 towns and one city in Lanao del Sur are empty. Only the Masiu incident was listed.

“We hope this trend continues until the end of the electoral exercise on Monday,” said women activist Samira Gutoc-Tomawis, a sectoral member of the Regional Legislative Assembly of the ARMM.

Gutoc-Tomawis credits the enhanced presence of military and police forces in the province for the unusual calm in the place that has been tagged among the areas of security concern in relation to Monday’s exercise.

C-CARE’s Salic Ibrahim told the Inquirer that five towns are the subject of intense security focus for the heated tension arising from the political contest. These are Kapai, Tugaya, Sultan Dumalondong, Lumbaca-Unayan and Butig.

Tensions rose in Butig after the reported presence of armed men in several areas of the town on Saturday, May 11.

The five towns are the same areas where security became a problem during the May 2010 general elections.

Violence and fraud had in past elections marred elections in Lanao del Sur, earning the province monicker of being “the cheating capital of the Philippines” following the “Hello, Garci” scandal where a top election official oversaw the rigging of the province’s presidential vote in 2004.

At the provincial capitol, the dispatch of election forms to the province’s 39 towns was very orderly, in contrast to previous periods when the atmosphered resembled that of a marketplace. The queuing for the forms was done per muncipality and supervised by policemen and soldiers.

By mid-afternoon, a total of 18 towns had already claimed the election paraphernalia. One concern related to the transport of the materials is the heavy rains that washed the province around late afternoon, expectedly delaying travel to the far-flung towns.

Another unusual feature of the elections here is the muted buzz of the vote-buying and vote-selling frenzy.

“This could be because many politicians are limiting spending owing to their losses in the investment scams,” according to Gutoc-Tomawis.

The province is ‘ground zero’ of the Coco investment scam that went bust middle of last year. This was followed by a similar racket, Aman Futures that also victimized many Maranao families.

However, in towns where narco-politics is believed to be present, by many accounts vote-buying remains as rampant as ever. In Marantao and Maguing towns, elections monitors have documented vote-buy offers in the thousands of pesos per voter.

In a bid to enter polling centers with the same privilege as accrredited poll monitors, election watchdog groups said some parties have resorted to “faking” their uniforms.

Zeny Ibrahim of C-CARE said they noticed that the design of the group’s T-shirts issued to its field monitors have been copied and worn by persons identified as partisan campaigners.