Ten years ago, 58 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, were slaughtered in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao, in the worst case of election-related violence in the country’s history.
But on Thursday, only 57 of them received justice.
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“When I heard the number 57, I knew right away my father’s case was not included,” said Ma. Reynafe Castillo, daughter of Victim Number 58, photojournalist Reynaldo Momay, whose body has yet to be found.
“Nabingi na po ako. Wala na akong narinig after nung 57 (I went deaf. I did not hear anything after hearing the number 57),” said Castillo, who is now based in Minnesota in the United States.
The only things recovered from the massacre site that would point to the presence of the 61-year-old part-time photojournalist were Momay’s dentures and ID card.
A reporter who was supposed to join the ill-fated convoy carrying family members of now Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu, a political opponent of the Ampatuans; lawyers; and journalists said they saw Momay, wearing a cap and a jacket, board the vehicles.
“There was no body, no corpus delicti. [But] there was an unbroken chain of circumstantial evidence placing him on that ill-fated convoy, up to the very last hour,” said Romel Bagares of the Center for International Law that handled Momay’s case.
Bagares said there was also the testimony of the owner of a motorcycle that Momay borrowed to go to the Mangudadatu residence.
The motorcycle was recovered, but Momay’s body was nowhere to be found.
“Do you know how it feels to have no closure?” asked Castillo, who, for three years after the massacre, religiously attended hearings to push for the inclusion of her father in the case, thus making the total number of victims 58.
“The first three years was a fight for the count, a fight just to file a case against the perpetrators…I believe in my heart my father was among those who were killed, but I have no body to show,” she said.
Lawyer Harry Roque said the prosecution will appeal the decision of the court to list only 57 counts of murder, effectively excluding Momay’s case.
“I told the court that we will file a motion of appeal for the civil aspect of the case. We are happy with the decision but we are sad for Momay. How can it be that his set of false teeth was recovered from the massacre site, yet he is not included in the list of victims?” Roque said.
But for Castillo, the fight is not about the money.
“What breaks my heart is that all I’m after is justice. I don’t care about any monetary award. How can I live on money that came from the blood of my father? I don’t think I can live with that,” she said.
“I’m really frustrated with the promulgation. I did not expect it will come to this.”
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