EDITORIAL - No peace for the dead

The dead are supposed to rest in peace. For too many victims of summary executions, assassinations, fraternity hazings, murders and homicides in this country, however, there is no eternal peace because they still wait for justice.

Political violence and deadly crimes are perpetrated with impunity because of the weakness of the state in bringing killers to justice and curbing the proliferation of loose firearms. In many cases, the masterminds are people with supervision over the various aspects of the criminal justice system, or criminals with connections to such people.

The rare times when perpetrators are caught, the dead and their bereaved loved ones become victims twice over because of the snail-paced administration of justice. It can take two decades before a final ruling is handed down on a murder case. By that time, some of the perpetrators could have fled the country or died without ever being punished.

Relatives of the 58 people massacred in November 2009 in Maguindanao fear that their wait for justice could take a century as some legal experts have warned. The investigation of the killing of 44 police Special Action Force commandos also in Maguindanao is crawling along.

Even victims of ordinary crimes do not get justice. People are killed in city streets for their mobile phones, their cars, or simply for thrills. With general elections approaching, violent crimes against property are expected to escalate along with political assassinations.

President Aquino himself and his family understand the feeling of being denied justice: after more than three decades, they still have not seen the mastermind of the assassination of his father officially unmasked. The soldiers who participated directly in the murder of Benigno Aquino Jr. and the man tagged by the Marcos dictatorship as his assassin, Rolando Galman, spent two decades in prison and were released by the previous administration.

Relatives of many other murder victims have not seen any suspect even identified. The days during which Filipinos remember their dearly departed should also be a period for firming up commitments to give justice to the dead. When justice is rendered, that will be the only time the dead can rest in peace.