Widow of Maguindanao massacre victim: Our lawyers told us case decision possible early next year

A widow of a media practitioner who was among those killed during the Maguindanao massacre nine years ago on Friday said she and the families of other victims were told by their lawyers that the case might already be decided as early as next year.

"That definitely hindi mahahabol ngayong taon, most probably po mga early months of next year. So 'yun po ang isa sa mga pinakamagandang balita na natanggap namin mula sa aming mga abogado," Noemi Parcon, wife of media enthusiast Joel Parcon, said in an interview on GMA News TV's News To Go.

But Parcon claimed she did not receive any government assistance in the nine years that the case ran.

"Aside from sa galing noon sa sweepstakes, merong mga promise na livelihood projects, mga ganu'n, pero parang, hindi ko alam kung may mga nakatanggap pero so far sa akin po, wala akong natanggap na livelihood project from the government. Pangako lang po," she said.

Parcon also said scholarships offered by some of the non-government organizations to the children of the victims already stopped due to lack of funding.

"Actually yu'ng sa NUJP, last year pa po wala na pong suporta. Tsaka 'yung iba pa pong scholarship, halos lahat po ay naputol na po 'yung mga suporta sa mga pamilya kaya mayroong mga pamilya ngayon na naghihirap din po kahit nasa pagpapa-aral lang po ng mga anak."

"So 'yun ang isa sa mga pinakamalaking problema nu'ng mga asawa ng naiwan na mayroong pong anak na maliliit na nag-aaral pa po," Parcon added.

Parcon said they already had a dialogue with President Rodrigo Duterte, who assured them that there will be a promulgation of the case in the following months.

"Ang sabi niya po aantayin, baka mag-a-appeal pa sila sa Court of Appeals or kaya sa Supreme Court po. Kung nakapag-antay po kami ng siyam na taon, we are very much willing po na antayin pa hanggang dalawang taon, provided po na ma-convict lang po ang mga perpetrators ngayong taon po," she said. — Jamil Santos/RSJ, GMA News