Here are some questions
for you to ponder, is the Philippines running out of time to correct its
justice system? Is there hope that
justice will be served for all cases filed in different courts throughout the entire
archipelago? Come to think of it, is
there really a justice system in the country? Take for example the Maguindanao Massacre, it
is quite unfathomable that a crime with so many witnesses is still on a stage
where lawyers debate if the alleged perpetrators will be granted bail or
not.
The Timeline
It was November 23, 2009 when
57 people which included 32 men and women from media were allegedly shot dead and buried by supporters of Ampatuan in a hilltop located in town bailiwick of the
Ampatuan. It took three days after the
incident before one of the alleged masterminds Andal Ampatuan Jr. was arrested.
A day after following the arrest, state prosecutors recommended filing murder
charges against the masterminds. In
December of the same year, the area was placed under martial ruling and several
arrests were made for the alleged perpetrators and the accused.
In January 2010, the
younger Ampatuan pleaded not guilty during his arraignment. The Ampatuans were
cited for rebellion and the case was thrown out due to lack of evidence. By the end of August of the same year, the
hearing formally opened involving 200 accused and over 500 witnesses. In 2011, Ampatuan Sr. was arraigned and also
pleaded not guilty to charges of being the mastermind behind the massacre.
In November 2012, several
human rights and news organization staged a protest rally in Mendiola to
criticize the state of dilly-dallying the trial. December of the same year, Zaldy Ampatuan
asks the court to let him post bail. In
2013, President Aquino ordered state prosecutors to stop attempts of delaying
the trial and ensure conviction before his term ends.
 |
| from SalemNews.com |
Since 2009 up to present,
a lot of heated argument ensued, turning state witness as one of the accused,
lawyers strategizing motions to drop the case, witnesses were killed, tons of
documents were submitted, a number of the accused were dropped due to lack of
evidence, some of the accused remain at large, suspected policemen who were
involved were allowed to post bail, and zero suspect being convicted.
 |
| from ABS-CBN |
Some people are impatient
with the delivery of justice when there are more highly controversial crimes that were not yet decided and have been forgotten.
Take for example the Ozone disco fiasco. It took two decades for the
court to decide that seven local officers were guilty of graft and corruption
for being negligent in their duties when they approved flawed building design
and permit for the said high profile disco.
Some feared that this case will go into the dustbin and be
forgotten.
So, what can you expect? For as long as the Ampatuans have the money
to pay to delay their day in jail or to pay legal dues and other related costs to
prove their innocence, the case will take forever. Remember, we already elected two presidents
who were directly related to Ninoy Aquino but until now, the mastermind behind
his assassination remained a mystery. Well
even in the U.S., there are still high profile cases which remained unsolved; JFK
assassination, do you remember this? Yes, there will be a court decision but we
shall not hear it in this decade, maybe after we elect two more presidents in
the future.
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