Justice Delayed Justice Denied: Maguindanao Massacre

Justice delayed justice denied 3

A year ago the world was shocked by what is popularly known as Maguindanao Massacre.  The victims were not only the members of the clashing political clans but also the media men and women who were there just to do their duties to report what was happening then. They added to the number of media practitioners that had been missing if not assassinated simply because they would like to let the people know. It appears that culture is really stronger than the law of the land and even religion. Freedom of information is provided by the constitution but it is always transgressed simply to hinder the people their right to know. It was understandable during the time of the Martial Law regime but in the present democratic system of government it is incomprehensible that this still exists.

This massacre is just the tip of the iceberg they say. A deeper analysis of the incident would reveal a more serious problem in the Philippine society because it did not only happen in Maguindanao but also in other places in the country. While the Filipinos are now enjoying the benefits of modernization the traditional culture of violence is still prevalent. Filipinos are religious yet religion could not prevent these incidents to happen much more the “temporal” laws of the land. In other words there is a need for moral recovery within the Philippine society. However, it seems that the prosecution of the culprits would take longer than expected even with the numerous witnesses to presented to prove them guilty. Whether it is resolved within the lifetime of the accused and the accusers we would never know. The progress of the trials and other means of delaying tactics could speak for themselves. Another case of justice delayed justice denied.

A good friend of mine in the media composed a song voicing his lamentations in the injustices done to his colleagues. Listen and learn from it and be convinced that this is really justice delayed justice denied.