Almost 10 years after the gruesome Maguindanao Massacre, which saw the deaths of 58 victims including 32 media workers, the trial ended at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221, under the watch of Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes, who handed down a guilty verdict for 57 counts of murder for the convicts. Among those sentenced to reclusion perpetua were principal suspects Datu Unsay Andal Ampatuan Jr. and his brother Zaldy Ampatuan.
Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan Sr. and Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan, along with some members of the police force, however, ended the trial with an acquittal at hand.
Reyes is the second judge to take the helm in what is dubbed as the “trial of the decade” in 2009, after another judge, Luisito Cortez refused to take on the case.
A woman who didn’t balk from her place in history, Reyes, according to The Philippine STAR, spent the next decade on top of numerous hearings regarding the Philippines’ most violent election-related event, having to go through 165 volumes of records on the trial, 65 volumes of stenographic notes, eight volumes of the prosecution’s documentary evidence, and the testimony of 357 witnesses.
Reyes’ verdict was positively received by various personalities. Amy Pamintuan, editor-in-chief of the Philippine STAR says thats he is “very happy with the verdict but sad that the 58th death was excluded.”
Presidential Spokesperson Sal Panelo, on the other hand, says. “The court has spoken and rendered its decision based on evidence. It behooves the parties to respect it,” adding that the rule of law has most certainly prevailed.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevara echoed Panelo’s sentiments, saying that “Finally, justice has been served.” He also commended the presiding judge for being thorough and impartial, as well as the prosecutors for securing a favorable decision.
Various online sources, including CNN Philippines, reveal that Reyes obtained her Law degree from the University of Santo Tomas, before becoming a lawyer in 1987. She holds a journalism undergraduate degree from the Lyceum of the Philippines. In a Varsitarian article, Reyes said that her mother, who studied law for three years, inspired her to become a lawyer. And so, she became a public attorney in 1992, before becoming a public prosecutor at the Department of Justice from 1995 to 2000.
In 2001, Reyes was appointed municipal trial court presiding judge in Angeles and Olongapo in Pampanga. After three years, in 2004, she was assigned to Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221.
Meanwhile, the development has generated reactions from various quarters. Responding to PeopleAsia about her reaction to the guilty verdict, Sen. Risa Hontiveros has this to say: “This has been a day too long in coming, but it is a step towards the full measure of justice. On November 23, 2009, 58 people were murdered, 32 of them members of the press, in what has been widely acknowledged as the single most violent crime against journalists in living memory.
“My heart goes out to the families of all the victims who have suffered for far too long. I am glad that this decision finally saw the light of day, and the truth is this decision should have come sooner. The world has waited ten, long years, and finally, we have taken the first step towards healing, accountability and justice.
“But this is not where the road to justice ends. Now we must ensure the success of the BARMM and that the Philippines stops becoming a dangerous place for members of the press, or for anyone exercising their democratic rights. Now we must work toward the greater goal of ending lawless violence perpetrated by political dynasties who only want to cling to power and look after their own self-interest. The road to justice ends when we ensure that any similar attack on the free press and our democratic rights never happens again.”
