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Showing posts from November, 2010

Revisiting Masalay, Ampatuan on the 1st Year Anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre

A year ago, I had the chance to be at  site of the infamous Ampatuan massacre. It was a few days after the bodies of the victims have been cleared, yet, the stench of death still clung to the air and the general area as observed by the foreign forensic experts whom we were assisting. I don't have to see the littered bodies of the dead journalists, lawyers, the women of the Mangudadatu family and those other civilians who just happened to be in the convoy on that fateful day of November 23,2009 to not be able to imagine the terror and fear that the victims felt as they rode through the narrow road leading to the hill of Masalay to their deaths. Standing at that hill, I can almost hear the terrified cries and pleas of the victims as they beg for their life as it feel on deaf ears. The barbarism and atrocity were beyond comprehension, yet, the massacre happened. That all too painful day happened. The crime was beyond our wild imaginings and it jerk us to a very harsh re

Isang taon ng Hinagpis at Pagluluksa, Katarungan nasaan na?

Ika-23 ng Nobyembre. Ito’y araw na nakaukit sa ating madilim na kasaysayan sa isang bansang tinaguriang isang demokrasya.  Ang petsang ito ay nakabaon sa kamalayan hindi lamang ng mga pamilya ng biktima ng karumal dumal na krimen ng binansagang “Ampatuan Masscare” kundi pati na rin ng mga ordinaryong mamamayan na naghahangad ng katarungan.  Isang taon ng pagdadalamhati at pagluluksa. Isang taon na pakikibaka upang makamit ang minimithing hustisya, subalit bakit sadyang napakailap nito? Limampo’t walo (58) ang naging biktima ng masaker na ito, mga manunulat, peryodista, brodkaster, abugado, asawa,kapatid, ina at ama. Sila ay walang awang pinaslang ng mga taong halang ang kaluluwa. Isa dito ay hanggang ngayon ang katawan ay hindi pa rin natagpuan. Ang mga primerong akusado sa nasabing krimen ay kasalukuyan nasa piitan at kinakaharap ang iilang bilang ng kasong pagpatay. Sabi nga ng iba ito’y isang kapanalunan na sapagkat hindi na rin mabilang ang kasaong pagpatay subalit wa