It has been 15 years since 58 individuals were slaughtered in what is now known as the Maguindanao Massacre in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.The exact anniversary was last Saturday, November 23.
On this day, a mix of family members, political supporters, media workers and even bystanders were were killed for being part of a convoy for the filing of the certificate of candidacy by the then-incumbent local executive’s political opponent.
There was nothing accidental in the grim turn of events. The manner in which the killings were conducted was unprecedented. Premeditation was established by the courts in a decision handed down in 2019, a full ten years after the tragedy.
Justice was neither swift nor perfect — it rarely is. Some of the accused were never made to account for their participation. The patriarch of the Ampatuan clan died while the case was pending. There remains one casualty whom the court has refused to recognize just because his body has never been found.
The wrath of the reigning family at that time knew no bounds. They could not believe anybody would have the compunction to challenge them. Their rage moved them to do what was previously unthinkable even in a place where violence and clan rivalry were commonplace.
Most of all, the gall and impunity of some prominent personalities, who feel they are entitled to lord it over the life and death of others, feeling like god, is a trait that remains all too familiar among those in power.
A commemoration of this act of violence and its senseless scale, not only every November but constantly, is in order. Impunity manifests itself in various forms — for as long as there are people who feel entitled to quash their opponents for daring to oppose and challenge them, and who believe they are beyond prosecution for the consequences of their words and actions.
Ultimately, impunity transcends political divide. People could be capable of behaving in a bestial manner, some immensely more than others. May we remain vigilant against these and never give them the opportunity to lead by terror and irrationality ever again.
