Remembering the Maguindanao Massacre

It's amazing who you find in social networking sites. I, for one, have recently been contacted by an acquaintance from my NSPC days. Karlos Manlupig, I remember him from the time I was in Paete Laguna but I didn't know I competed with him directly during high school. I was surprised to know that he has gone tibak now.

Anyway, I borrowed this photo from him which he took the other day at Davao City. It's the same one which landed on gmanews and pinoyweekly, though the one on gmanews had been quickly replaced.

It's been six months, but still, no one has been held accountable for the Maguindanao massacre. It's depressing, really, that until now no case against the Ampatuans who were accused to be behind the mass murder has prospered. Even though this event had shook the nation and enraged journalists and human rights activists the world over, I fear that the Maguindanao massacre will be buried in the Filipino consciousness under the category "important but forgotten". Just like Joseph Estrada's jueteng scandal or Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Hello Garci and NBN-ZTE deal or even JocJoc Bolante's fertilizer fund scam.

That being said, I do believe those who are pushing for the case should still be cautious. Although the families of the victims are disappointed with the snail-paced judicial process, I do believe that whoever is prosecuting the case should do so with great care as we can't avoid to have short-cuts that might only bring it down during the appeal process.

Indeed, justice is yet to be served. Describing that massacre, where more than fifty people were murdered in cold blood, as brutal and inhuman is just an understatement. If we allow justice to elude the victims, would that not amount to the same inhumanity as the massacre itself?

I sincerely hope that the perpetrators of this crime be made responsible soon. But I hope, even more so, that the public's memory will not be as fickle as its political opinion.