Massacre widow to defense team: How much is my husband's life worth?

The widow of slain Manila Bulletin reporter Alejandro"Bong" Reblando on Thursday testified against suspects in the Maguindanao massacre, vividly narrating — almost non-stop — every detail she knew about the incident. But when it came to the damage Bong's killers should pay the family, Myrna Reblando broke down in tears, unable to summon the price for her husband's life. During the cross examination of Myrna, her lawyer, Harry Roque Jr, asked her to tell the court how much she thinks she should get in damages. "Hindi ko po talaga alam, Judge, kung magkano talaga ang dapat hinihingi sa ganito. Ano ba ang sinasabi sa batas? Wala kasing halaga na tatapat sa buhay ng asawa ko (I really don’t know, Judge, how much to ask for in something like this. What does the law say? Because there is no amount that can match my husband’s life), " a sobbing Myrna finally said after about a half a minute of mustering the courage to answer the presiding judge. When Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes reiterated Roque's question about specifying an amount, the widow turned to the defense lawyers across the gallery and blurted out in a quivering voice: "Ganito na lang po, Judge… Magkano ba sa tingin niyo ang halaga ng buhay ng asawa ko. Sabihin n’yo sa akin! (Like this, Judge… How much do you think is the value of my husband’s life? You tell me!)" The defense lawyers were silent, looking Myrna in the eye. Setting a price She said she did not want the massacre case to simply be reduced into a venue where the victim’s families end up setting a price on the lives of their loved ones in seeking civil damages. Myrna, however, managed to tell the court that her husband used to earn between P40,000 and P50,000 a month from his work at the Manila Bulletin, as a contributor for two wire agencies, and as a consultant for the Mindanao State University. She also said she had to shell out between P300,000 and P400,000 for the funeral and burial services of her husband. But when asked to quantify the total price the suspects owe her for Bong's life as well as the "stress" it brought her family, Myrna turned emotional and said she just couldn't think of any amount. In previous hearings, at least three families have already asked for a total of P50 million in actual and moral damages. Bong was among the 32 journalists who were killed with 25 others on Nov. 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao in what is now known as the Maguindanao massacre. In her testimony, Myrna recounted how she had discouraged her husband from going with the electoral convoy bound for Shariff Aguak. She said she was well aware that Barangay Salman, through which the convoy was to pass on the way to Shariff Aguak, was notorious for being a dangerous place. She also recounted in court how she rushed to the crime site after learning about the incident, and saw at the funeral homes how serious her huband’s injuries were. A medico-legal expert had earlier said Bong suffered eight gunshot wounds. "Ang sakit lang kapag nakita mo na patay ang taong mahal na mahal mo at may butas ang bungo (It's painful to see dead someone you love so much and has a hole in the skull)," she said. — VS, GMA News