DAVAO CITY — The Mindanao Independent Press Council (MIPC) Inc. finds the verdict against suspect in the bloody Maguindanao Massacre fair ad just.
In a statement released by the Mindanao-based journalists it stated:
Finally!
Justice is served to the victims and the families of the bloody Maguindanao Massacre which claimed 32 journalist and media workers.
The biggest single-day casualty among members of the press not only in the Philippines but the entire world.
The dastardly act is also considered the most deadly election-related violence in the country.It took the court almost a decade to hand the decision, the case having gone from one sala to the other with judges inhibiting from the case while aggrieved families were grieving
We view the decision rendered by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes who handed the landmark ruling as fair and just. Now, the case can be considered closed before the bars of justice but the healing among bereaved families linger
But the quest for justice does not end with the verdict of the Maguindanao Massacre case. The media community still awaits the solution of cases involving deaths of many journalists. Threats among journalists still run high, especially in the countryside.
We hope however, that after the judicial process involving the Maguindanao Massacre, the government and its allied agencies working for the protection of Press Freedom and members of the press, will heighten the mechanisms to protect and continue to work on the still unresolved cases.
We, the members of the Mindanao Independent Press Council counts on the support of the government in securing members of the press especially among those perceived to be critical to their interest.
Let the lessons of the bloody massacre be a learning point among media practitioners to assess and prepare safety before going to a coverage.It is also our hope that those who invite journalists for any coverage will take the cudgels in protecting their personal safety.
We cannot afford another bloody massacre involving our ranks.Let the justice obtained by the massacre victims be the light of each journalist in the advancement of media safety and security.
