Philippines renews commitment to resolve Maguindanao massacre

On the fifth anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre Sunday, the Philippine government renewed Saturday its commitment to serve justice to the victims of the worst election-related violence in the country.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said similar to the families of the Maguindanao massacre victims, the Aquino administration also wants a speedy trial for the resolution of the case, where 58 people, mostly journalists, were killed Nov 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, Xinhua reported.

She in an interview at a state-run radio station assured that the government was doing everything to prevent any delay in the case.

But she acknowledged the complexity of the case as she also noted that the resolution of the issue does not rely solely on the executive branch.

"Executives are only part of the prosecution. We're not the one hearing the case. we're not the one making the decision," Valte said.

Since the gruesome killings took place almost five years ago, no one was convicted yet. The alleged masterminds from the powerful Ampatuan clan have been detained in a facility in Metro Manila.

There were still other suspects who remained at large and just this week, another possible witness, a former employee of one of the prime suspects, was killed in an ambush in southern Philippines.