Maguindanao massacre commemorated

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines  – Speculations that certain groups “sabotaged” Saturday’s commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the “Maguindanao Massacre” saddened relatives of the victims of the country’s worst election-related violence.

The event at the “massacre site” at Barangay Masalay in Ampatuan town still pushed through as scheduled, capped with ecumenical prayers and lighting of candles by participants led by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu.

The massacre left 58 people dead, 32 of them journalists.

Mangudadatu, who lost a wife, Jenalyn, and two sisters, Eden and Farhana, in the incident, and relatives of other victims had noticed the conspicuous absence of senior police and military officials at the scene of the massacre in Barangay Masalay in Ampatuan town.

Hundreds of people and local officials gathered to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the massacre.

The massacre victims were on their way to the provincial capitol to file on Mangudadatu's behalf his certificate of candidacy for governor of Maguindanao during the May 2010 elections when they were flagged down by militiamen and certain leaders of the then ruling Ampatuan clan at a portion of a national highway in Barangay Masalay.

The victims were herded into a nearby hill and were killed with assault rifles and machetes.

Even members of Central Mindanao’s media community were forced to choose on which to cover --- the event at the massacre site, or the enthronement, at the same date and time, as “Sultan sa Rajah Muda sa La Union” of Major Gen. Romeo Gapuz by a Moro group in recognition of his services to the local communities as commanding general of the 6th Infantry Division.

The enthronement was held at Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in the first district of the province.

Most senior members of the media community in Mindanao, among them journalists working for national dailies and television outfits, covered the commemoration of the Maguindanao Massacre, instead of attending the event at Camp Siongco.

Mangudadatu said even the provincial director of the Maguindanao police was not present at the massacre site, whose security he was supposed to personally monitor.

Not a senior official of the 6th ID was present at the scene too.

“High ranking officials of the police and the military participated in the commemoration of the Maguindanao Massacre in previous years, Not one was around today,” a relative of a newsman killed in the incident told reporters.

Mangudadatu said he started to feel something “uncanny” when he heard feedback about certain government officials telling mayors in the province earlier to do away with the commemoration of the Maguindanao Massacre and just leave everything to the judiciary, which is now litigating the suspects and the alleged brains behind the carnage.

“I lost in the massacre my wife, my two sisters, and people who worked for us, apart from the 32 journalists who also perished in the incident. How can we just do away with the commemoration of the gruesome incident? We cannot just do away with it,” Mangudadatu said.

Members of a Christian family, who lost a relative in the massacre, told reporters they were also dismayed over the  absence of officials from government entities that sent delegates to the first, second, and third commemoration of the massacre.

“Are the memories of the Maguindanao Massacre being deliberately marginalized? Why? Could there  be politics and power play behind this?" one of them said.

Hundreds attended the Saturday event, but with lesser uniformed policemen and soldiers around.

Mangudadatu, in a speech, said his confidence on the Quezon City court litigating several leaders of the Ampatuan clan for the massacre remains.

“There are processes in the prosecution of the culprits. We just have to wait and be patient,” he said.

Singer Freddie Aguilar, and his 16-year old wife, Jovie Albao, who were married according to Islamic rites Friday afternoon in Buluan town in Maguindanao, participated in the commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the massacre.

Aguilar, who adopted the Muslim name “Abdul Faried” before entering into wedlock with Albao, now named Sittie Marriam, sang his one of his most popular songs, 'Bayan Ko', for the relatives of the massacre victims.

Mangudadatu helped facilitate the wedding of Aguilar and Albao, which was officiated by a local cleric, Imam Abdulwahid Sumaoang.