House joins call for early resolution of Ampatuan massacre case

Members of the House of Representatives on Monday joined calls for the speedier resolution of the cases against suspects in the Nov. 23, 2009 Ampatuan massacre, which left more than 50 people killed, most of them members of the media. Deputy Speaker Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III said the slow pace of the court proceedings on the massacre seems to be "frustrating" family members of the victims. "The fact that we cannot even start the hearings on the merits of the case is what’s frustrating the members of the families of the victims... The problem talaga is that lawyers have so much weapons to delay the process," Tañada said Monday during the 18th month commemoration of the carnage. Media groups led by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) set up an exhibit at the House of Representatives to commemorate the massacre which happened a year and a half ago. Tañada likewise said that presiding Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court should try to dispose of all the pending motions from both camps "as soon as possible." On Nov. 23, 2009, 58 people, including members of the Mangudadatu clan along with several media personnel, were killed in Ampatuan town while on their way to file the certificate of candidacy of Esmael Mangudadatu, then Buluan vice mayor eyeing the Maguindanao gubernatorial post. At least 198 people, including primary suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr. and clan patriarch Andal Sr., are currently being tried for multiple murder charges in relation to the massacre. Speaker vows ‘not to forget’ House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., for his part, said the lower chamber will do everything it can to help victims of the massacre and to ensure that the carnage will never happen again. "Karamihan sa amin dito ay nababahala talaga. We vow not to forget and to do everything we can," Belmonte said during the opening of the exhibit. Editha Tiamson, widow of slain UNTV driver Daniel Tiamson, meanwhile thanked the House leadership for the assurance of continued support. "Natutuwa po kaming malaman na may kakampi rin po pala kami rito sa Kongreso," she said. — RSJ, GMA News