After decade-long trial, a judicial decision on the highly controversial Maguindanao massacre case was finally released. Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, in her 761 pages decision, ruled that Andal Ampatuan and Zaldy Ampatuan are guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Anwar Ampatuan Sr. and other individuals were found guilty for 57 counts of murder. The sentence is “reclusion perpetua” (40 years of imprisonment) without any chance of parole. Overall, the accused individuals were decided as follows: 28 principally accused individuals were found guilty, 15 people were seen as accessories to the crime, and 57 were acquitted. Some of the absolved people include Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan, Police Officer (PO) I Abdula Baguadatu, Senior PO II Oscar Donato, and PO I Michael Madsig.
Sajid, one of the convicted people in the lawsuit, was not able to appear in the promulgation of the court decision. As a result, he was required by the court to explain within five days on said absence. Other information on Sajid is that he had applied for bail in 2015, where he paid PHP11.6 million (PHP200,000 per act of murder for 58 counts of the same crime).
The other convicted individuals were accessories to the crime, who were penalized by six to 10 years of imprisonment.
The principally accused people were required to pay hundred thousands to a million pesos of damages.
Reyes ordered the warden of the Quezon City Jail Annex to release the exonerated people if they have no more cases faced.
The convicted individuals will proceed to the New Bilibid Prison to serve their sentence.
The Ampatuans mentioned that they will appeal the case until it is finalized by the Supreme Court.
