MANILA — Sixteen years after the Maguindanao massacre, families of the victims on Monday urged the Court of Appeals (CA) to immediately resolve pending consolidated cases and formally recognize Reynaldo Momay as the 58th victim of the country’s deadliest attack against media workers.

“[D]espite the passage of 16 years, the quest for full justice remains incomplete, and the resolution of these consolidated appeals is a crucial step towards achieving the long-overdue closure for the families of the Maguindanao Massacre victims,” the heirs said in their manifestation with urgent motion for resolution. The families were represented by the Butuyan and Rayel Law Offices.

The consolidated appeals, filed in 2020, challenged the 2019 Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) ruling that convicted several accused on 57 counts of murder. The appeals specifically seek recognition of Momay as a victim and adjustment of damages awarded to the victims’ heirs.

“A number of the victims’ relatives have passed away without ever witnessing the attainment of full justice for their loved ones. The remaining family members… express their earnest hope that they may still be alive when the Honorable Court issues its decision on their consolidated appeals,” the motion read.

Momay’s daughter, Reynafe Momay-Castillo, stressed the pain of the omission: “It’s been 16 years, and until now walang acknowledgement for my dad. Napakahirap sa amin ‘yun. We don’t have closure. We don’t have the body. The pain remains deep and unresolved for our family because justice remains incomplete. Our call is very simple — to recognize that my dad is a victim and to grant our family justice.”

The appellants argued that the trial court erred in failing to establish Momay’s death and in not applying the presumption of death under the Revised Rules on Evidence and the Civil Code. They cited continuous direct and circumstantial evidence proving that Momay was part of the convoy murdered in Sitio Masalay, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

They asked the CA to reverse the 2019 RTC ruling insofar as Momay is concerned, declare his death at the massacre site, impose murder penalties on those responsible, and order the principal accused to pay damages. They also requested corrections to clerical errors on the CA website, noting that the “Heirs of Reynaldo ‘Bebot’ Momay” were not listed among the parties despite their timely notice of appeal.

The heirs of 19 other victims also urged the CA to resolve the long-pending consolidated appeals, citing the “extreme personal and generational trauma, depression, and inescapable grief” caused by the 16-year wait.

The Maguindanao massacre occurred on November 23, 2009, leaving 58 people dead, including 32 journalists, as they traveled to file the certificate of candidacy of Esmael Mangudadatu. On December 19, 2019, the Quezon City RTC convicted the Ampatuan brothers of 57 counts of murder, sentencing them to reclusion perpetua without parole. Twenty-eight co-accused, including police officers, were sentenced to 40 years in prison for murder, while 15 others were sentenced to six to 10 years as accessories. Fifty-five individuals, including Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan, were acquitted.