InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA – As the nation commemorates the second year of the Ampatuan massacre, lawmakers on Wednesday urged President Benigno Aquino III to order a stop to extrajudicial killings and resolve past cases of murders.
The United States, meanwhile, said the Aquino government’s prosecution of the Ampatuan case “is seen by many around the world as demonstrative of the Philippines’ commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting human rights.”
House Resolution 1932 filed by Deputy Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo Tanada III called on the president “to hold true to his promise of justice and good governance by issuing an unequivocal order for all concerned government agencies to put an immediate and complete stop to extrajudicial killings and resolve all past cases of such.”
“It is only with vigilance and concrete action geared towards seeking justice can we finally put an end to the culture of violence and impunity in our country,” he said.
The lawmakers also pressed the court to act faster on the cases of the 58 people killed, including 32 media workers, in Maguindanao in 2009.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he hopes the courts would resolve the cases the soonest to serve justice to the victims. “I was hoping that the proceedings would be faster,” he said.
Quezon City Representative Winston Castelo lamented the “slow grind of the judicial process,” saying it tends to highlight the culture of impunity in the country.”
“We have put a closure to this dark page in our history, if we wish to move forward as a nation,” he said.
Tanada said the public should keep a close watch on the legal proceedings to “ensure that the search for justice is not slowed down by threats, bribes and underhanded legal tactics.”
The resolution also expressed full backing to the commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity.
The International Freedom of Expression Network has declared November 23 of every year as the International Day to End Impunity.
“It is very important for the people to never forget the massacre which can be considered as the worst manifestation of the plague of extrajudicial killings that has claimed the lives of hundreds of our fellow Filipinos,” Tanada said.
“The culture of impunity must end now. For this to happen, we must always remember events such as this in order for us to be empowered to prevent this from happening again,” he added.
US ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas issued a statement Wednesday saying that the US, a key ally of the Philippines, “welcomes President Aquino’s pledge to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.”
“We applaud those members of the Philippine National Police, Department of Justice, and Court who are working to expedite the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cases against those who committed this appalling act of violence,” Thomas said. “The prosecution of this case is seen by many around the world as demonstrative of the Philippines’ commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting human rights.”
He added: “We commend the courage of those witnesses who have come forward to testify, despite threats and intimidation, and stand in admiration of the journalists and political and community leaders who carry on their important work in memory of those who lost their lives two years ago. Know that on this day, and every day, we continue to remember the victims of that merciless act committed in Maguindanao on November 23, 2009, and to call for those guilty of this crime to be brought to justice.”
