Kin of Ampatuan town massacre victims afraid to seek justice

They of course want to have justice for their loved ones. However, despite the outpouring of assistance, most of the kin of the Ampatuan town massacre victims are reluctant to pursue legal action because they fear the perpetrators of the crime. Lawyer Romel Regaldao Bagares, executive director of the non-government Center for International Law, said his group had been encouraging at least 12 of the 31 families of the massacre victims to sign a consent that would allow the center to represent them in court. However, most of the families refused legal assistance from Bagares’ group. “Most of them have expressed concern for their lives," Bagares told GMANews.TV in a recent interview. It's not only the victims' kin who are afraid for their safety. Earlier, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said that the slaughter has produced a chilling effect on provincial government prosecutors who fear that they might suffer the same fate of the civilians massacred by militiamen being linked to the Ampatuan clan. "Di sila makagalaw. Takot sila. Sa dami ng napatay na 'yan, ayaw nila magsibalik sa Maguindanao. Kaya ang ginawa namin, hindi taga-Maguindanao ang aming naka-standby na prosecutor doon," Devanadera said. Datu Unsay, Maguindanao mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr is being accused of masterminding the November 23 carnage. He is facing multiple murder charges, which are set to be filed at the court by the Department of Justice on Tuesday. The massacre claimed the lives of at least 57 people, among them 30 journalists and media workers, two female lawyers, and the wife and sisters of Buluan vice mayor Ismael Mangudadatu. The vice mayor is seeking the gubernatorial post currently held by the father and namesake of Ampatuan Jr.

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Lawyer Carlos Medina of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) said it was normal for the victims’ relatives to feel threatened given “how dastardly their loved ones were executed." Lente was among the groups that helped the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines to find lawyers for the victims’ families. "If the murder can be done to the wife of a powerful politician, what more to the family of slain journalists? They do this for self-preservation, unless you can guarantee them their safety and a certain level of anonymity," Medina recently told GMANews.TV in a separate interview. Nonetheless, the victims’ kin should learn to stand up for justice even their fear is overwhelming, according to Carlo Zarate of the Union of Peoples' Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM). Zarate said pursuing justice through legal action is the only way to put a stop to the culture of immunity among powerful politicians and personalities. “Kailangan talaga (It should really be done). It’s beyond the Ampatuans. Para hindi maulit pa 'yung pag-encourage ng private armies at mahinto na 'yung culture of impunity (They need to do this to put a stop to the use of private armies and the culture of impunity)," Zarate told GMANews.TV in another interview. The UPLM has dispatched two lawyers from their General Santos City chapter to gather the affidavits of the victims’ families. Zarate said his group was also studying if the local government officials, police, and the military in Maguindanao could be held accountable for the grisly killings. “Bakit hindi napigilan itong mga private armies na ito? Ano ang ginagawa ng gobyerno at ng mga pulis at militar? (Why was this crime not prevented? What was the government, the police, and the military doing at the time?)," Zarate said. - Aie Balagtas See, ARCS, GMANews.TV