The Philippine Star
November 24, 2025 | 12:00am
Six years to resolve an appeal shows the inefficiency of the country’s legal system. That’s how long victims of the Maguindanao massacre have been waiting for the Court of Appeals to resolve several petitions in connection with the case.
These include judicial recognition of the 58th victim whose remains have not been found, journalist Reynaldo Momay. Also, the victims’ relatives have yet to receive a single centavo of restitution, whether from the government or the perpetrators led by members of the Ampatuan clan.
Partial justice was the cry of the victims’ relatives yesterday, as they marked 16 years since the Ampatuans massacred relatives of Esmael Mangudadatu including his pregnant wife. Esmael had dared challenge the Ampatuans’ stranglehold on power in Maguindanao.
The Mangudadatus, accompanied by 32 media workers, were on their way to file the certificate of candidacy of Esmael for governor of Maguindanao when they were waylaid by armed men in Ampatuan town on Nov. 23, 2009.
On Dec. 19, 2019, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 convicted the defendants in the case led by Andal Ampatuan Jr. It was a long 10 years of waiting for the victims’ families, although at least it didn’t take 200 years, as a former senator predicted in the light of the high number of victims and the accused.
While those convicted are now serving mostly life terms, other aspects of the case remain unresolved, illustrating once again the slow pace of justice in the Philippines.
Appeals before the Court of Appeals may still reach the Supreme Court before rulings become final. Will this take another decade?
While final rulings are awaited, witnesses have been killed, have gone missing or retracted their statements. About 100 suspects remain at large and some may have already been executed.
The glacial pace of justice is being cited by people concerned over where the ongoing anti-corruption crackdown is headed. The masterminds of the massacre are local government officials. What happens when some of the highest officials of the land are accused of plunder and other serious crimes?
As yet another year passed, Gilbert Andres, a lawyer representing 19 of the slain media workers, released this statement: “Full justice must not only be promised – it must finally be delivered for the Maguindanao massacre victims.”