KIDAPAWAN CITY – The daughter of the missing Maguindanao massacre victim expressed frustration after learning that her father’s case was not included in the court’s verdict.
“It’s bittersweet. Masaya ka kasi nahatulan sila, pero hindi total ang saya, kasi may naiwan,” said Maria Reynafe Momay-Castillo, daughter of freelance photojournalist Reynante Momay whose body can’t still be found by authorities.
Castillo, in an interview over the Facebook Messenger, recounted that at first, she was exuberant as the clerk of court started reading the verdict. But she said she went black when she learned that the court only considered the 57 murder cases and all the accused in the alleged killing of her father were acquitted.
“I could no longer process my feelings at that time. I had sort of a ‘mental’ blackout,” she said.
Due to voluminous documents and at least 400 witnesses from both sides, it took the court a decade before it decided on the case.
“We’ve waited for this only to end up so frustrated. At first, my relatives did not get what the court was saying about her father’s case. They just realized later, my father’s case was not included in the guilty verdict,” she explained.
Momay was said to have boarded a passenger van, which was part of the convoy of vehicles headed towards Sharif Aguak, Maguindanao, to cover the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy of then Buluan Municipal Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu on November 23, 2009.
Castillo said she was frustrated when she heard the court’s verdict that the prosecution failed to present evidences or proof that Momay was among those killed.
“It was not enough that we presented my father’s denture which was recovered at the site. Also, it did not give merit to the testimony of a journalist who said he saw Momay boarded the van and the list of journalist that joined the convoy that was presented in court by Mangudadatu. For me, that was so frustrating,” said Castillo.
But she made sure they will appeal the decision.
Her relatives in Mindanao had already initial talks with their lawyer to determine what legal remedy they could apply to get the justice that they deserve.
Castillo is an overseas Filipino worker based in the US. (Malu Cadelina Manar)
