Palace on Maguindanao massacre verdict: Justice should always prevail

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday expressed hope that justice would prevail in the Maguindanao massacre case as the nation awaits the promulgation of the verdict on what is now known as the worst incident of election-related violence in the country.

The ruling on the high-profile case will be read on December 19 at the Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, more than ten years after the infamous massacre left 58 people, including 32 media workers, dead.

The incident has placed the Philippines in the list of countries tagged as worst impunity offenders, with the country ranking fifth behind Somalia, Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan in the 2019 Global Impunity Index.

"The court will decide on the basis of evidence so we hope that justice will be given to the parties, especially for the prosecution," presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in an interview.

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"Justice should always prevail," he added.

Panelo, a former lawyer for Andal Ampatuan, Jr., a principal suspect in the massacre, said he has not spoken to President Rodrigo Duterte about the promulgation. He declined to comment further, admitting that anything he says about the case would be viewed as biased.

The Maguindanao massacre took place on Nov. 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town and is also viewed as the worst single attack on the press.

The massacre victims were on their way to a local election office to witness the filing of the certificate of candidacy for then Buluan vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu when they were flagged down and shot dead by armed men in Ampatuan town.