QUEZON CITY - Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno yesterday said the judiciary is doing its best to bring justice to the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre.

Fifty-eight people, including 32 journalists, were killed in the massacre five years ago yesterday.

“The only answer I can tell you with all sincerity is that the judiciary is doing its best, the Supreme Court is exercising its power in a way it has never done before, to bring a speedy end to the long anguished wait,” said Sereno, who was the keynote speaker at the Journalism Asia Forum 2014 here, organized by the Center for Media Responsibility.

She said in 2013, the SC came up with new guidelines to speed up the disposition of the Maguindanao trial.

“The guidelines apply only to this one case. This is extraordinary. The Supreme Court has never done this before,” the chief justice said.

The SC has provided the judge handling the Maguindanao Massacre trial all possible legal resources to speed up the disposition of the case, she said.

The trial judge has more flexibility in addressing questions at her level without fear of being overruled by a higher level court, Sereno said.

The case is a big one since there are 197 accused, of which two had turned state witness and the information against another has been dismissed, she said.

Sereno said 111 have been arraigned. Seventy of the accused have filed petitions for bail and 42 of them have already been resolved, she said.

She also said 166 witnesses have already testified.

Journalists and media workers lighted candles at the ground level of the symbolic EDSA Shrine here last night, to remember the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre.

Most of the participants wore black shirts to mourn the still unattained justice for the massacre victims.

The CMFR, that led the activity, installed a digital wall with photos of the 32 Filipino journalists and media workers, who were killed.

There were no speeches delivered at the candle-lighting ceremony, as CMFR executive director Melinda Quintos de Jesus, said the “Power of silence might do something this time."*SGG

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