By KATRIBU PARTYLIST AND SUARA BANGSAMORO
www.nordis.net

KATRIBU Partylist and SUARA BANGSA MORO join the family, friends and colleagues of the Maguindanao massacre victims, many organizations and individuals in condemning the massacre in Maguindanao. We also express our deepest sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of all those senselessly killed in the said massacre.

The incident shows the prevailing impunity and brazenness perpetuated by traditional politician warlords held in patronage by Malacanang. In the last elections, the suspects – the Ampatuan warlord clan – purportedly was responsible for rigging the elections in favor of GMA and her entire slate. Thus, in patronage, Malacanang allowed the rule of terror by the Ampatuan warlord clan in Maguindanao.

The Ampatuan warlord clan is also reportedly responsible for many human rights violations involving Moro people who oppose the said warlord clan’s rule in Maguindanao.

In the said massacre, the indigenous and Moro peoples of Mindanao lost two (2) of the very few lawyers who took on the cause of indigenous peoples’ rights, Attys. Concepcion “Connie” Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo. In particular, Atty. Concepcion Brizuela, known among the indigenous peoples as “Attorney Connie” served as legal counsel for cases involving ancestral land rights in Mindanao.

The perpetrators even had the gall to cover-up the incident by moving out the bodies from the place of incident and attempted to bury all the victims in a nearby nameless pit. A mockery of law and order; and a blatant show of the perpetrators’ disrespect to Life!

In all these, we have not heard a sincere word of condemnation of the incident nor an expression of sympathy to the victims from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Her silence is deafening and ill-speaks of political benefaction!

We challenge the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government to act swiftly and conduct a full, fair and impartial investigation of the said massacre. On findings of probable cause, without delay, it should appropriately charge and arrest all suspects without fear or favor, even if it involves her staunchest ally in Maguindanao and bring them before the bar of justice and face the full force of the law!

Government should be wary of coddling the suspects; in the like manner it has coddled and awarded human rights violators like Berdugo Gen. Jovito Palparan. Private armies and goons that serve as instruments of terror should be disarmed and dismantled.

We further call on the government to do all that is possible to bring the reported hostages safe and secure back to their families, including securing the witnesses and other survivors.

The Malacanang-declared ‘State of Emergency’ should also be kept in check as not to serve as a tool for further human rights violations, silence the witnesses and survivors, and to whitewash the massacre and hostage-taking in Maguindanao.

Justice and Peace in Mindanao.
Dismantle All Private Armies!
Justice to the Victims of the Maguindanao Massacre!# nordis.net