ON THIS somber 16th commemoration of the Ampatuan Massacre, the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) stands in solidarity with the families of the 58 victims. We remember their courage, mourn their loss, and condemn the entrenched system of impunity that enabled this atrocity and continues to plague our nation .
On November 23, 2009, the world witnessed one of the single deadliest attacks on journalists and civilians in history. The Ampatuan Massacre was a stark, brutal demonstration of how fascist mechanisms are weaponized by political dynasties to silence dissent and protect their power. It was impunity in its most violent form.
Sixteen years later, this impunity remains the dominant currency of a corrupt political system. The same system that bred the Ampatuan warlordism—a system built on political dynasties, the consolidation of power, and the corruption of public institutions—is the very source of the massive corruption scandals rocking the nation today. The brazen plunder of public funds and the grotesque misuse of government programs are not isolated ills; they are the logical, insidious extension of the same culture of entitlement and unaccountability that led to the murder of 58 innocent people.
The massacre and the massive corruption are fruits from the same poisonous tree. The tree is a system where power is treated as a personal inheritance, state resources as a private treasury, and the law as a weapon against the people rather than a shield for them. The warlord who orders a massacre to secure an election and the official who diverts billions from the public coffers operate on the same core belief: that they are above the law.
Honoring Our Fallen Legal Companions
The UPLM specifically honors and mourns our two colleagues, fellow lawyers who were brutally murdered that day.
· Atty. Connie Brizuela, our founding member and treasurer, was a pillar of UPLM—a fierce advocate for human rights and a dedicated legal warrior for the marginalized in Mindanao. Her murder was a direct attack on the legal profession and on every lawyer who dares to challenge this corrupt and violent system .
· Atty. Cynthia Oquendo-Ayon, a courageous lawyer and a strong advocate for women’s and children’s rights, was also killed alongside her father, Catalino Oquendo . In her final, desperate moments, Atty. Oquendo-Ayon used her cellphone to send text messages that would become a crucial instrument of justice. Her pleas—”Kidnap me with tatay… Advise client Ampatuan. Tama na, pls, we myt (might) get killed they r (are) firing,” and her final message, “Many people killed, I’m next”—were later admitted as evidence that helped convict the principal masterminds . Her final act of bearing witness from the massacre site itself stands as a powerful testament to her bravery and a damning indictment of the killers.
The absence of Atty. Brizuela, Atty. Oquendo-Ayon, and all the victims is felt every day, but their spirit of relentless service and courage fuels our resolve.
Today, we see the same fascist tactics used in Ampatuan being refined and deployed nationwide: the red-tagging of activists and lawyers, the filing of fabricated charges against dissenters, and the use of state power to protect the corrupt and persecute the critical . The unbridled corruption we witness is possible only because impunity has been normalized, from the highest offices down to local dynasties.
The UPLM hereby declares:
1. We will never forget. We will forever honor the memory of Atty. Connie Brizuela, Atty. Cynthia Oquendo-Ayon, and all the victims of the Ampatuan Massacre. Their fight for truth and justice is our fight.
2. We demand full accountability, from Ampatuan to Malacañang. The conviction of a few principals is not the end of justice. We demand the swift resolution of all pending Ampatuan cases and, with equal fervor, demand an end to the high-level corruption that starves our people. All perpetrators, whether they wield guns or pens, must be held to account .
3. We condemn the system that breeds impunity. We call for the dismantling of all private armies and the end of the political dynasties and warlordism that suffocate democracy. We demand a complete overhaul of a system that allows power to corrupt with absolute impunity.
4. We vow to continue the struggle. In the face of threats and a corrupted system, the UPLM remains steadfast in its mandate to provide legal defense for the poor and the oppressed. We will use the law to challenge both the bullet and the bribe, to fight the violence of the warlord and the theft by the corrupt.
The memory of the 58, and of our dear colleagues Attys. Brizuela and Oquendo-Ayon, is a burning flame that guides our path. It is a constant reminder that the struggle against a system of impunity—whether it kills with brutality or with corruption—is a struggle we must and will win.
Justice for the Ampatuan 58!
Justice for Atty. Connie Brizuela and Atty. Cynthia Oquendo-Ayon!
End the System of Impunity and Corruption!
References:
Atty. Antonio C. Azarcon
UPLM Chair
Contact: +639199124767
Atty. Arvin Dexter M. Lopoz
UPLM Spokesperson
Contact: +639260583542
