A greater harm the pork barrel scam may have inflicted on the Filipino people is that it has obscured in, if not erased from, their consciousness the most cruel, barbaric and despicable crime ever committed in Southern Philippines. I am referring to the Maguindanao massacre that shocked the country on Nov. 23, 2009.
Less than a month from now, the heinous event will mark another anniversary. Will the carnage that claimed the lives of 58 persons, 32 of whom were journalists, still be remembered with sadness and outrage? It is disquieting to note that the people seem to have forgotten that atrocity from a mere four years ago.
Very noticeable has been the absence of news stories about the crime; and if ever there’s one, it is buried in the inside pages of newspapers. There’s nothing wrong if the people’s attention is riveted to the pork barrel scandal. There’s really a need for sustained interest in and concern for this gargantuan plunder of the people’s money.
Even as the people are focused on the multibillion-peso robbery allegedly committed by high-ranking officials and a high-profile “businesswoman,” it is equally important and imperative that the Maguindanao massacre not be forgotten.
It is in this light that we call on media, both print and broadcast, as well as individuals, sectors, institutions and organizations that value truth and justice, to keep the memory of the Maguindanao massacre alive.
In fact, there should be a running count of the number of passing days while the case awaits just resolution.
—EUSEBIO S. SAN DIEGO,
founder, Kaguro and former president, Quezon City PSTA,
essandiego@ymail.com