Maguindanao massacre cripples Mindanao communities

MANILA, Philippines - The Maguindanao massacre can be considered as one-time assault that inflicted a crippling effect to the entire press community in Mindanao that could never be reversed, according to Bangon Pilipinas presidential candidate Bro. Eddie Villanueva.

 In his initial sorties in Mindanao, Bro. Eddie is calling on the public to keep a watchful eye in the ongoing investigation of the Maguindanao massacre so that justice would not elude the 57 victims, including 31 journalists.

 “Just so justice would not elude us again, Bangon Pilipinas will continue to call for public vigilance on the ongoing investigations,” he said.

Moreover, Bro. Eddie is calling on volunteers of Bangon Pilipinas nationwide to organize and extend necessary humanitarian assistance to the families of the journalists and other victims killed in Maguindanao. However, he expressed fears that the case build-up against some members of the Ampatuan family could be jeopardized with the contamination of the crime scene while operatives retrieve the bodies of the victims. “The fact-finding team’s report said that the retrieval group from the military and police was clearly assigned to achieve only one task: get the bodies out,” Bro. Eddie said.

“There was little or no consideration given to preserving the evidence. There was little or no consideration given to avoid the contamination of the crime scene,” he also said. He said this development could give substance to what the public has been thinking all along, “that justice might take long to come because, from the beginning, pieces of evidence were not properly secured.”

Bangon Pilipinas has headquarters in key cities in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and Metro Manila and has volunteers who support Bro. Eddie’s causes and advocacies.

 Bro. Eddie, himself a long-time columnist of The STAR, during the time of the late founding chairman, Betty Go-Belmonte and television personality, said 21 out of 31 mediamen killed in Maguindanao have children. “These children thus become victims themselves. How do we even begin the healing of these hurting orphans?” he asked. – Roel Pareño