by Myra Cabujat

The families of the 58 victims of the Maguindanao Massacre were still haunted with the memories of the loved ones. All calling for justice for those killed in the heinous crime. And one family still struggles from finding the body of their loved one whose corpse is, up until now, still missing.

Two years ago, 61-year-old Midland Review photojournalist Reynaldo Momay joined the convoy of the relatives, lawyers and media workers in Ampatuan, Maguindanao. The convoy ushered the relatives and lawyers of then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu as they file the politician’s certificate of candidacy, aiming to rival then Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Jr.

On their way, a group of gunmen blocked them, brought them to an idle village far from the main road, and shot them to death.

During the search and retrieval operations, only 57 bodies were found. Momay’s corpse was the only one which was not retrieved by authorities. Only his ID and dentures were found in the massacre site.

Days before the second anniversary of the carnage, a faded press card, a muddied vest, a worn-out shoe sole, a pair of sunglasses, and used shells of M14 and M16 rifles were found on the massacre site. However, in the wake of the anniversary of the massacre, Momay’s relatives, particularly his daughter, did not recognize any of the items retrieved in the crime scene.

“[N]one of these belonged to my father,” MindaNews quoted Reynafe Momay-Castillo, Momay’s daughter, as saying.

Despite the time that passed, for Momay-Castillo, the memory of her father is still fresh in their minds.

“When the body of your father is out there, never recovered, this will bring us misery, forever,” she said in an interview with Inquirer.

In an online interview, Momay-Castillo remembered the memories of her father.

“As a father, he is not perfect but still with that imperfections, I really love him,” she said.

Momay-Castillo also described how her father loved his job.

“All I can say is he loves his job and [he is] proud to be one,” she said.

Momay-Castillo shared some of her father’s experience as a journalist.

“As a journalist naman kasi dito sa amin you don’t earn that much. Kung may istorya, may kita. Kung wala, wala din. Walang sikat na journalist kung nasa isang local print ka lang. Since matanda na siya, he died at age 61, lately ‘yung mga kinukunan lang niya ay mga di na delikadong bagay,” she said.

“Mahal niya ang trabaho niya at hindi siya hao shiao (fake) na journalist,” she added.

Momay-Castillo said it was hard for them to forget what happened.

“[There is] no closure for us. Ang hirap minsan ipaintindi sa mga anak ko kung bakit di nahanap at bakit di na hinanap ng gobyerno ang lolo nila,” she said.

In commemorating the second anniversary of the massacre, groups like Families of the Disappeared for Justice (Desaparecidos) supported the call for justice for the victims, especially for Reynaldo Momay.

“We share the pain of her daughter Reynafe Momay-Castillo of not finding the body of a loved one. Like her, we can’t give our missing loved ones a proper burial nor we can have any closure,” Desaparecidos deputy secretary-general said in a statement.

“Two years is already too long to find Momay. With his dentures and identification card found at the grave site, we know that his remains are there and that the government should not stop digging until his body is found,” Santos added.

“Naniniwala ako na kung may gagawin sila at kung ginawa nila ang totoong pahahanap, baka nakita ang tatay ko. Sana bigyan nila kami ng isa pang chance na maghukay at maghanap doon sa massacre site,” Momay-Castillo said.