By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA
Something happened during the National Interfaith Mission for Peace and Justice visit to the massacre site in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao, last January 23 that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. As an “embedded” Bulatlat correspondent in the mission from Cotabato City, I, along with my Kodao and Pinoy Weekly colleagues, had no inkling that something was wrong when we started out that day.
The mission organized a site visit to allow families to visit the site of the gruesome massacre that claimed the lives of 58, thirty-two of whom were journalists. Even before mission participants left from Manila to Cotabato, it was clear to us that Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo and Gabriela representative Luz Ilagan were to be invited. It was impressed on me that their presence would be good for the mission as it would be easier for the organizers to ask for additional security from the Philippine Army, the Philippine National Police and local officials.
The two’s participation would not have been out of place. Ka Satur was himself a journalist, a human-rights victim many times over and a human-rights defender for the longest time. Ka Luz is a Mindanaoan and herself a human-rights defender.
Apparently, their presence was resented by some journalists who were also in Salman that day.
Pinoy Weekly’s Ilang-Ilang Quijano and I, along with filmmakers Kiri Dalena and Adjani Arumpac, were on the 10-wheel truck that brought about a thousand bags of relief goods for the hundreds of evacuees forced from their homes after the massacre. As the convoy was about to turn off from the highway to the site, it was held up for several minutes. Still not suspecting anything, we sat it out and waited for the convoy to move once again. From several meters away I saw that some vehicles were blocking the narrow dirt road and some people were talking on the side. I also saw families in groups wearing “Justice Now” shirts moving about. It was a bit curious as I was expecting everyone to start pushing for the massacre site by then.
It was at this point that Ka Satur alighted to ask the group of journalists from Davao what is keeping their vehicles in the middle of the road. He greeted the persons he knew but he was snubbed. Taken aback, Ka Satur retreated back to his vehicle and patiently waited for the situation to be sorted out.
The convoy soon moved. As our truck turned the corner, the journalists were calling on Ilang to alight from the truck and join their group. I heard them say, “Di kasya yang truck niyo! Malambot ang lupa! Baba na kayo!” Still unsuspecting that something was amiss, Ilang even stuck her tongue out as if to say “What? Do you know how hard it is to climb on top of this?” Ilang and I laughed it off as just one of those group antics and ribbing we have gotten used to when we’re among media friends.
At the site, we still did not suspect anything was wrong. All the families were there and many hugged and thanked Ka Satur for expressing solidarity in their quest for justice.
There was a time though when I was rudely interrupted from taking a picture of a victim’s kin. A portly woman I have not met before said “Please, no!” and blocked my camera. It wasn’t as if I was poking my camera right into my subject’s face — her back was turned and I had a telephoto on. But thinking the woman was another relative, I backed off. (Of the other subject I was taking close ups of, Ma. Reynafe Momay-Castillo, she later added me on Facebook and asked permission to send my pictures to her relatives abroad.)
All throughout the program, Ka Satur and Ka Luz did not speak. They kept a respectful distance when the victims’ relatives lit candles and scattered flowers. They allowed the relatives to finish before offering candles and flowers themselves.
We came to know of the problem on the way back to Cotabato. I was flabbergasted. I could not believe that some of the journalists resented Ka Satur’s participation. I resolved to find out more.
The journalists said they resented Ka Satur’s smiling pictures on the side of the vehicles used in the convoy. They also were wary of “politicians” joining the commemoration as it was “stealing the moment” from the families. They also said that they want to give families space to grieve and not let other photographers/journalists intrude in on them at the site.
All sounds bull to me.
First, the vehicles with Ka Satur’s tarpaulins were parked a kilometer away from the site. Besides, they could very easily ask the organizers to take the tarps down in the several minutes the convoy was blocked. Moreover, Ka Satur was not aware that supporters had put his tarpaulins on three convoy vehicles.
Second, Ka Satur is no ordinary politician. As mentioned above, he was already a journalist long before the other journalists learned to spell their names. He was himself a victim many times over. He had every right to be there.
Third, the group should give other journalists the benefit of the doubt. We just might know how to comport ourselves during sensitive moments, or we could be asked nicely.
The next day, I was floored when I read an Inquirer.net story maliciously twisting many things during the commemoration. It quoted Periodico Banat’s Freddie Solinap as having said that Ka Satur “tainted” the event with his “politicking.” Solinap was also quoted to have said he did not ask for help from any politician. The story even quoted families to be equally resentful, accusing Ocampo of taking advance of the occasion for his political ambition. (Oh, the article was full of vitriol. Malisyoso talaga.)
Solinap and his group may not have asked for the help of this “politician.” But the mission did. And I know the mission planned this ahead of whatever plans the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines had for that day. Solinap may not want Ka Satur’s help but other families and organizations do. He should speak for himself and not arrogate unto himself the entire justice campaign for the Ampatuan Massacre. I symphatize that he lost colleagues and friends in the massacre, but so did the mission organizers and participants.
(It did not end there. I heard from an inside source that this group was still fulminating when they got back to General Santos City and were still railing long into their poolside drinking session.)
And there lies the rub. As far as I know, it was the mission which planned this and Solinap’s group were only invited to participate. They could very well have declined participation. And since they arrived in Salman two hours before the convoy did, they could have proceeded to the massacre site on their own and have evaded these politicians and their leftist supporters. Why did they not?
Granting that they have their own plans and “nasapawan” sila ng convoy, is it enough reason to be rude to a fellow journalist and a kind person like Ka Satur? Is it enough reason to badmouth this “politician” in articles and forums?
Sure, Ka Satur is running for the senate in this year’s election. But to merely say he is a politician is dumb.
To say that there was just a breakdown in the coordination between the mission organizers and the journalists’ group from Southern Mindanao is an oversimplification. I suspect they may already be blinded by their self-ascribed role so that they do not want others to figure prominently in the campaign for justice for the massacre victims.
Isn’t this a disservice to the memory of colleagues and other victims who lost their lives that dark day of November 23?
