A dialogue with President Duterte has been requested by Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and relatives of the 58 victims of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre.
According to a statement by Mangudadatu on Thursday, August 25, they want to hear President Duterte’s official position on the massacre case and what he would do in accordance to his commitment to help them achieve justice for their families.
Back when Duterte was still the mayor of Davao City, he had provided the afflicted relatives of victims his legal advice on how to pursue the criminal cases against leaders of the Ampatuan clan.
The Ampatuan clan was allegedly the perpetrators of the election-related massacre, where among the 58 victims are the governor’s wife Genalyn and several members of the Mangudadatu clan. 32 media men were also unfortunately included in the list of victims.
Now that Duterte is the President, Mangudadatu and the relatives of the massacre victims are confident that the alleged plotters of this violent incident, currently in jail and undergoing litigation, would be pleaded guilty before Duterte’s presidential term ends in 2022.
“Our president was a former prosecutor. We are confident it would be easier for us to achieve justice now that he is at the helm of the national government, knowing well his experience in handling criminal cases,” Mangudadatu said, as quoted by Philippine Star.
Mangudadatu, now on his third and last term as Maguindanao governor, said he and relatives of other victims of the massacre are still waiting for the President’s answer to their request for a dialogue.
Photo Credit: Interaksyon
