British Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie. AFP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — British Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie on Thursday said that the United Kingdom (UK) remained united with the Filipino people in honoring the memories of those who died in the Maguindanao massacre, stressing that perpetrators of the heinous crime should be brought to justice.
“While nothing can be done to bring back the lives lost, bringing the perpetrators to justice will go some way to helping the victims’ families cope with their loss,” Lillie said.
“The swift resolution and successful prosecution of anyone guilty of involvement in these crimes would reinforce the UK and Philippines’ shared aspiration of upholding a democratic society where human rights and individual freedoms flourish,” he added.
Lillie issued the statement a day before Filipinos commemorate the worst election-related violence in the nation’s history. A total of 58 people, including 32 journalists, were brutally slaughtered by men armed with rifles and machetes on November 23, 2009.
The victims, including Maguindanao governor Esmael Mangudadatu’s wife, two sisters, and supporters, were in a convoy on the way to file Mangudadatu’s candidacy.
The alleged massacre mastermind former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., his son, former Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., his other son, Zaldy Ampatuan, the former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, are jailed while being tried for the massacre.
Three years after the massacre happened, at least 92 of the almost 200 suspects remain at large.