Massacre victims' kin not impressed with Agra’s turnaround

Relatives of victims of the Nov. 23 Maguindanao massacre are not impressed with (even if they welcome) the turnaround of Justice Secretary Alberto Agra on the murder charges against two members of the Ampatuan clan. Human rights lawyer Harry Roque Jr. on Thursday said the victims still do not expect justice under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo rule, and would rather wait for the next administration to pursue the case. "Yan ang tamang desisyon pero yan ay di nagbabalik ng kumpyansa sa panig ng biktima kay Sec. Agra. Nawala ang kumpyansa na yan at napakahirap na ibalik yan (Agra made the right decision but it does not restore the victims' trust in him. They lost their trust in him and that trust will be very hard to earn back)," Roque said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Agra earlier cleared suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and suspended Mamasapano Mayor Akmad Ampatuan from the case, saying there was no probable cause against them for murder. But he said the two are once again included in the charge sheet after he found "probable cause" to pursue the case against them. Roque also said Wednesday his group would still push for the sacking of Agra as DOJ chief. "Siguro inudyukan siya ng hukuman ng mamamayang Pilipino na mag-isip-isip at repasuhin ang pagkakaalam sa ating batas maling-mali ang kanyang desisyon (Agra may have reflected on the judgment that the people passed on him on this issue)," Roque said on Thursday’s interview. Roque said they don't expect anything to happen on the case in the last two months of the Arroyo administration, adding that said that aside from the loss of trust in Agra, there are many pending motions before the court filed by the defendants. "Wala nang ibang option. Ang pangyayari, naisin man namin di kami makausad. Huling pagkakataon namin mag-submit ng ebidensya, February 3. Sa kapal at dami tingin ko walang mangyayari hanggang pagdating ng July 1 (There is no other option. Even if we wanted to move, we could not. The last time we submitted evidence in the case was February 3. With the number of petitions, we do not expect any progress until July 1, when the new administration takes over)," he said. — LBG, GMANews.TV