(National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-North America

November 28, 2022)

Three years after several of the accused, including members of the Ampatuan clan, were found guilty of multiple murders, a family member of one of the victims and journalists said over the weekend that the victims are still looking for justice.

Ma. Reynafe “Nenen” Momay-Castillo said at an online memorial put on by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)-North America chapter that her family and the families of other victims are still hoping that justice will be done even though many of the accused are still at large.

Castillo told journalists and people from civil society groups in North America and the Philippines that the Quezon City Regional Trial (RTCdecision )’s in December 2019 that 28 of the accused were guilty of 57 counts of murder is not yet final and is still being reviewed by the Court of Appeals in the Philippines. At least 83 of the accused people, including some who are thought to be gunmen, are still on the run.

She also said that she had appealed the decision that her father, Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, was one of the victims and that the people accused of killing him should be found guilty of 58 counts of murder.

The Quezon RTC did not count Momay as a victim because his body could not be found. Momay was a photographer for the Midland Review in Tacurong City. Part of his dentures and his jacket, which had been used to cover the body of another victim, were found at the massacre site, though.

Jonathan de Santos, the national chair of NUJP, said that the situation of journalists in the Philippines, especially the safety of media workers, has not improved, even after the massacre, which sparked outrage around the world.

He said that Percival “Percy” Mabasa, a well-known radio host, was shot dead in September in Manila, the capital city. Mabasa is the second journalist to be killed while Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was in charge. Since 1986, the NUJP has kept track of 197 journalist deaths.

Most of the journalists who were killed lived in the provinces, and Mabasa’s death shows that even in the capital, journalists are in danger.

The head of NUJP-North America, Jhong Dela Cruz, said that the online memorial is a way to help media workers in the Philippines, especially those who are trying to get justice for the people who were killed in the massacre and their families.

During the forum, people stood still for one minute to remember and honor the victims.