Deafening Silence: Sixteen Years after the Maguindanao Massacre

Sixteen years ago today in Maguindanao, a convoy of 50 people, which contained the then Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu’s wife and relatives, his supporters, his legal counsel, and over 30 journalists, was bound to Shariff Aguak to cover Mangudadatu’s filing of certificate of candidacy as governor for the May 2010 elections. 

Around 10 in the morning of November 23, 2009, 58 people were brutally murdered by the camp of Mangudadatu’s political rival—the Ampatuans. Neither the convoy made it to Shariff Aguak nor the people inside made it home. 

In just a short amount of time, 58 lives were cut short because of political rivalry. In just a short amount of time, the Philippines became the second country after Iraq with the highest journalist death toll in a single day. Considering that the massacre happened during peacetime and not in any time of conflict, it begs the question: is the Philippines really at peacetime or is at war… with the truth?

The Road to Justice 

The war was a long battle to claim justice for the victims’ families. According to former Senator Joker Arroyo, with nearly 200 defendants and 300 witnesses, the trial could take 200 years. Meanwhile, former human rights lawyer Harry Roque claimed it could last more than 100 years. 

In the process of the trial, more lives were lost. Witnesses Suwaib Upham, Esmael Enog, Dennix Sakal, and Buth Saudagal were killed separately in the midst of the trial. In 2014, the court bailed out 16 police officers who were accused. The following year, in January 2015, it also granted bail to Andal Ampatuan Sr.’s son, Sajid Islam Ampatuan. In July of the same year, the Ampatuan patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Sr., died due to complications brought on by liver cancer, thus removing him from the legal proceedings.

In 2017, multiple murder cases against three suspects: Kominie Inggo, Dexson Saptula, and Abas Anongan were dismissed due to lack of evidence. 

On December 19, 2019, after 10 years and 26 days, the judgment of the case was finally served. In the verdict, the Ampatuan brothers, Datu Andal Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan were found guilty of 57 counts of murder and sentenced to reclusion perpetua without parole. The count of murders was only 57, instead of 58, as the body of photojournalist Reynaldo Momay was never found at the massacre site.

28 of the co-accused, including police officers, were also convicted of 57 counts of murder with a sentence of 40 years. Additionally, 15 accessories to the crime were sentenced to 6-10 years. Meanwhile, Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan and 55 others were acquitted. Is the War Over?

Despite the end of the trial, the war against truth-tellers still exists in the Philippines. From 2010 to the present, there have been 63 Filipino journalists who have been killed unjustly. Frenchie Mae Cumpio, among other political detainees, has been behind bars since 2020 without conviction. 

Additionally, intimidations against journalists and student-journalists still happen. Student photojournalist Gio Caballes from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines was one of the people unjustly arrested during his coverage of the September 21 rally. Meanwhile, student journalist Jacob Baluyot was subpoenaed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to explain his alleged involvement in the violence that erupted during the anti-corruption rally. 

These situations serve as an example of how impunity against the press exists. However, despite its existence and realness, it must not be normalized. Every time a media practitioner is arrested, put behind bars, and slain, it must remind us to amplify our call for a free and safe press. If every voice is silenced with impunity, all we will hear is silence; a deafening silence. 

If we ignore every journalist that falls prey to harassment, oppression, and killings, may their suppressed voices haunt us with deafening silence. May we never wait for that deafening silence to haunt us before we begin to take action.

May we never wait for another Maguindanao Massacre to happen before echoing the call against violence on free speech and truthtelling. 

Article: Ysabella Franchesca Paches

Graphics: Keren Hope De Leon