Kin of 3 Ampatuan victims seek P50M in damages

The families of three journalists slain in the grisly Maguindanao massacre in November 2009 on Thursday told a Quezon City court that they were seeking a total of P50 million in civil liabilities for the death of their loved ones. Catherine Nuñez, Noemi Parcon, and Ramonita Salaysay informed the court about the indemnity when they took the witness stand during the resumption of the multiple murder trial at the Quezon City Hall of Justice. Catherine and Ramonita are each seeking P15.1 million in damages, broken down into P10 million in moral damages, P5 million in exemplary damages, and P100,000 in actual damages. Catherine is the mother of 24-year-old UNTV reporter Victor Nuñez, while Ramonita is the widow of Napoleon Salaysay, a radio station manager. “Actually, kahit P10 million iyang [moral damages], hindi matutumbasan niyan ang buhay ng anak ko," Nuñez told Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Regional Trial Court Branch 221. Noemi, on the other hand, said she is seeking P10 million for her husband’s death, and another P10 million for the projected income that his 45-year-old husband, Joel Parcon, would have earned for the next two decades if he were still alive. Noemi said her husband had a monthly salary of between P35,000 and P40,000 as the editor and publisher of a Mindanao-based magazine. The three women estimated that they have each incurred a total of around P100,000 worth of expenses for the burial of their loved ones. The three were among the 15 relatives of the massacre victims who agreed to testify in court on behalf of the other relatives, who would just be executing judicial affidavits. Like Catherine, Myrna Reblando, wife of Manila Bulletin reporter Alejandro "Bong" Reblando, said no amount of money could erase the pain she feels about her husband’s death. “The life of my husband is not for sale. Pero kailangan daw mag-come (but we need to come) up with a number," Reblando told GMA News Online. Defense lawyers pointed out why the damages the families of the victims were seeking seemed to be similar. Noemi admitted that she and the other widows met up Wednesday night to agree on the amount they would be seeking. Reblando said she was willing to testify in court but didn’t want to be among the first batch to do so. “Baka hindi ko kasi kayanin kapag nauna ako. Kaya maganda na nakita mo muna tumestigo silang tatlo," she said. A total of 196 people are charged with multiple murder for the killing of 57 people, including 32 journalists, on a hilly portion of Sitio Masalay in Barangay Salaman in Ampatuan town on Nov. 23, 2009. — Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News