Remembering a nightmareand Maguindanao massacre unresolved after 6 years

It was shortly before noontime of Nov. 23, 2009 when I received a call from the wife of Manila Bulletin correspondent Bong Reblando who was sobbing as she informed me that he was missing along with several other journalists.Bong was not just a former journalism colleague. He was a friend and I stood as one of the sponsors in the wedding of his daughter.Moments after the call from Bong's wife, I heard live reports over the local radio station DXND about the convoy of vehicles which was waylaid by armed men somewhere in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.I was then Vice Governor of North Cotabato having completed my 9-year term as Governor.Unable to fully understand what was going on, I rushed to my office and made some calls to validate the reports of a possible massacre.It was when I was at the office when I was able to piece together what happened but even then I still could not believe that a crime that brutal could ever be committed by human beings.Later in the afternoon, I received a call from Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, who was then Regional Governor of the ARMM. Manong, anong gagawin ko?, he asked me when he called.By then I was already informed that it was his brother, Unsay, who was believed to have led the group of about 200 men who committed the most brutal politically-related crime in the country's history. Wala ka nang magagawa dyan kundi sabihin mo kung ano ang totoo, I advised Datu Zaldy.There were indications initially that Zaldy, who I believe had the least participation in that dastardly crime, would come forward and tell the truth about the massacre.In the end, however, the family decided to band together and with the help of handsomely paid lawyers maintain that none of its members was involved in the massacre.Today marks the sixth year since that harrowing day when the world saw the extent of bestiality and brutality human beings who want to hold on to power are capable of doing.Six years later, however, justice still has to be served to the families of those who were murdered in the shameful and infamous Maguindanao Massacre.The unsolved Maguindanao Massacre would be listed down as one of the biggest failures of this administration.When the administration could use its resources and influence to oust a sitting Supreme Court Chief Justice simply because of a flawed Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN), there could be no justification for its inability to exact justice for the over 50 victims of a daylight massacre.I believe that the failure of government to give justice to the victims of the massacre is a crime worse than the massacre itself.In the Maguindanao Massacre, people painfully realise that in this country, justice could be elusive when the victims are up against the moneyed and the powerful.