By URIEL C. QUILINGUING
Contributing Editor

MEDIA organizations lauded the Supreme Court over its decision to grant their petition for live television coverage and live-streaming of the promulgation of the decision on the 10-year-old Ampatuan multiple murder case which is set Thursday next week at Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City.

SC assistant court administrator Brian Keith Hosaka earlier informed the general manager of the People’s Television Network Inc. of the high court’s decision and asked the government network to provide technical support for the live coverage because of the paramount public interest involved in this case.

“The public has the right to know of the proceedings,” said Philippine Press Institute executive director Ariel Sebellino since “it was a painful journey for the families of the 32 victims and hard work for everyone who helped pursue the cases against the perpetrators.”

Sebellino said the PPI, which is an organization of over a hundred dailies and weeklies nationwide,  welcomes the SC decision granting live airing of the promulgation of the decision and that they expect that justice be finally served.

Cagayan de Oro-based journalist Pamela Orias, who heads the local chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines here, said the live television coverage—and live-streaming— will not only benefit the journalists but the families of the victims who cannot attend the judgment which they have been waiting for 10 years.

“We thank the Supreme Court for upholding transparency,” said Orias even as she stressed that every Filipino deserve witness how the judicial system of the country works.

Catherine Nuñez, mother of UNTV reporter Victor Nuñez who was among those killed, said she wants to witness the reading the verdict not just view the court proceedings on television and on social media.

Nuñez, who lamented that only few of the family members who originally testified have been attending the hearings,  praised the SC ruling, saying: “Mabuti (na may live coverage) para masaksihan ng lahat, na may hustisya na, matapos ang sampung taon.”

The court decision, she said, could be the best ever Christmas gift she and the families of the victims for the past 10 years.

SC’s Hosaka, in his Dec. 5, 2019 letter to PTV Network general manager Julieta Claveria-Lacza, requested that the government network provide cameras and airtime and the same footage would be pooled to the other (television) networks.

“Since it is an official court proceeding, the Supreme Court PIO (public information office) would have to closely coordinate with the coverage team before and during the promulgation of the RTC’s (Regional Trial Court) decision,” the same letter states.

Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 of Quezon City has set the promulgation of the judgment for the Maguindanao case at 9 am on Dec. 19, 2019 at the QC Jail-Annex, Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City.

The trial of the multiple murder case, which involved 197 suspects charged with 58 counts of murder started in January 2010, following the Nov. 23, 2009 election-related mass killing in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao.