President Duterte welcomes and respects the decision on the Maguindanao massacre case, Malacañang said yesterday.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte welcomes the decision because the rule of law prevailed.
“He welcomes that decision. What is important to this President being a lawyer is that the rule of law will always prevail. We cannot be ruled by a lynch mob,” he said.
“This President never interferes with any co-equal branch of government. What is important to him is whatever constitutional task is given to every branch, any of the three branches, will have to be obeyed,” he added.
Panelo, a former counsel of Datu Unsay, Maguindanao Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., one of the those convicted as principal accused in the Maguindanao massacre case, refused to comment on the decision of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.
“Whatever I say might be misinterpreted so I’d rather not. As I said, the court has decided and we have to respect,” he said.
Panelo added the court has spoken and rendered its decision and it is now up to the parties to respect the guilty and acquittal verdicts.
“There are those who view the judgments as justice having prevailed. There are others who have contrary views. Those who disagree with the judgments of the court have legal remedies under disposal,” he said.
“Ultimately, it will be the Supreme Court that will give the final judgment. For now, what is important is that the rule of law has prevailed,” he added.
The Presidential Communications Operations Office, Presidential Task Force on Media Security, and the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat also hailed the decision.
They said the world celebrates the conviction of the principal suspects in the Maguindanao massacre and the judgment brought the Philippines back to the commune of countries that value human rights. “This will be remembered as the day that justice has prevailed and human rights for both plaintiffs and complainants have been upheld,” they added.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the principal accused getting the guilty verdict was “the only way the judgment should go” even though it took a decade before getting the desired decision.
“As I’ve said before, criminals who murder or in any way endanger journalists in this part of the world will not go unpunished. This is justice. It was admittedly a slow process but we have to go through it as warranted by our democratic system,” he said. (Argyll Geducos)