DAVAO CITY—The city government here lauded the conviction Monday of 14 persons who detonated a bomb four years ago at the night market here which killed 17 and hurt 78 others, even as the city government expressed its wish that the guilty parties should have also been convicted of terrorism.
“The verdict, handed down Monday, September 28, 2020, by Judge Marivic Vitor of the Regional Trial Court Branch 266 in Taguig, underscores the delivery of justice for the fatalities of the bomb attack, the survivors, their loved ones, the entire City of Davao and all the Dabawenyos who endured the impact of the said terror attack,” said Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte, this city’s the acting mayor while the mayor, her sister Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio took her leave of absence for a week.
In his statement posted in the official Facebook account of the city, the acting mayor said “four years after the grisly attack, we continue to mourn with the families of the victims and the survivors. Day in and day out, these families are constantly reminded of the horror brought by the bomb explosion to their lives.”
The explosion happened on September 2, 2016, at the section where market-goers regularly go for a massage.
“Given the many lives lost because of the bomb attack—and given its impact on Davao City and its people—we respectfully express our dismay as we point out that this positive development is somehow tarnished by the absence of a strong law against terrorism,” the acting mayor said.
The vice mayor said the perpetrators would have been convicted also as terrorists “if only the Philippines has a good anti-terror law.”
“We believe that the decision underlines the urgency to enforce strong laws against people and groups that espouse terrorism. Terrorism is real. And if we fail to do something to stop it, it will find its way to destroy us,” he added.
The Taguig City court named as respondents to the multiple murder and multiple attempted murder charges the following: Abubakar Zulkipli, TJ Tagabaya Macabalang, Wendel Apostol Facturan, Musali Urbano Mustapha, Datu Masla Sema, Abu Hadid Dilangalen, Jessy Vincent Guinto Original, Zack Haron Lopez, Pendatun Coy Maruhom, Abu Calid, Abu Solaiman, Jackson Mangulamas Usi and Ausa Abdullah Mamasapano.
The court did not find conclusive evidence to the terror charge leveled against the accused under Section 3 of the Republic Act 9372, saying that the prosecution failed to establish proof that the it was performed “because the President [Rodrigo Duterte] is from Davao City and that it was done “to coerce the government to give in to an unlawful demand” such as “to compel the government to reduce the military forces in Basilan who at that time was fighting the Abu Sayyaf Group.”