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13/01/11
The true face of a Massacre…
Everyday here in Manila I found myself doing things I never thought I would or get the chance to experience and yesterday was no exception.
On finding out I was heading to the Philippines for my internship I began doing research on the country, its politics and its media. Unfortunately what I found in terms of dangers that face the media in the country was alarming. In 2009 the Philippines was ranked the most dangerous place to practice journalism in the world, this was entirely due to one devastating event, The Maguindanao Massacre.
In the deadliest incident for the press ever recorded by the Committee to Protect Journalists, 30 Philippine journalists and two media support workers were ambushed and brutally slain on November 23 2009 as they traveled in Maguindanao province with a convoy of people who intended to file candidacy papers for a local politician. In all, 57 people were killed in a shocking display of barbarism, some were beaten, shot at point blank, beheaded, raped, genitals were slashed and all sustained several gun shot wounds, apparently motivated by political clan rivalries. Most of the bodies were dumped in a mass hillside grave in the town of Ampatuan.
As a journalist, and as a human being, this story shocked me and angered me, I began finding more out about the massacre and even began researching it as my Honours project. So when my editor told me that they were holding the Maguindanao Masscre trials at Quezon City and I was to cover the story I had to pinch myself. This is one of the biggest (and sadly longest) trials in the Philippines and in the media world. For me, an Aussie girl to be sitting in the Regional court listening to such an important trial was amazing.
During the trial Dr Dean Cabrera was being examined about his findings when he conducted an autopsy on two of the victims. We heard in great detail every injury sustained from the Massacre. The trial itself, with the legal jargon and medical terminology was quite dry and monotonous you could almost be forgiven in forgetting the 'victims' were in fact human beings with families and loved ones. That was until a distraught family member left the courtroom in tears.
She was the sister of victim, Cecille Lechonsito. According to the sister on that fateful day in November 2009 Ms Lechonsito, her husband and three others were driving along the same road as the doomed convoy when the car they were traveling in was accidentally pulled over at the military check point.
"She was innocent; they weren't involved in the media or politics at all," she said outside the courtroom.
After sitting through an hour or so of the court proceedings the woman broke down upon hearing the doctor conclude that her sister had also appeared to have been raped before she was murdered.
Dr Dean Cabrera described how the victim sustained bruising that was consistent with sexual abuse, however the defense lawyer quickly challenged that assumption, despite the court already hearing two other cases of sexual assault pertaining to female victims of the massacre.
Dr Cabrera then went on to describe the evidence of seven gun shot wounds, including fatal shots to the jaw, chest, left side of the torso and the back of the shoulder. Ms Lechonsito also suffered bruising to the abdominal muscles that would have caused 'extreme pain' said Dr Cabrera.
The distraught sister, supported by friends, returned to the court to hear the doctor conclude his statement of Ms Cecilli Lechonsito by describing the brutal nature in which she was killed.
"From my examination of the victim I can conclude she died in a violent manner," he said.
After the trial I had lunch with a few of the court reporters that had been reporting from the first day of the trial, over a year ago now. When I asked how long they thought the trial would go on for they just laughed and said they expect it will be a legacy they will pass down to their children the proceedings are continuing so slowly!
It's a sad thought that the families of these victims may not receive justice for a very long time…
Here is the story I contributed to that appeared in the paper today…
From Manila lots of love,
Stace
xxx
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