By Bea Cruz and Ylexis Rualo

Un-gone: Searching for Momay

As soon as news of the horrific slaughter of 58 innocent people in a secluded village in Maguindanao broke out on November 23, 2009, alarmed families scuttled over to funeral homes where the victims were taken, hoping and praying not to find their loved ones among those gunshot-wrecked bodies piled in disarray.

The kin of Reynaldo Momay, a 61-year-old photojournalist of the local newspaper Midland Review, did not find the remains of their beloved father in any mortuary in the province, much to their momentary relief – only to be faced with the greater misery of still not knowing his whereabouts after more than two long years.

Only 57 people have been officially declared as victims of the November 23, 2009 massacre, 32 of which were members of the media. But Maria Reynafe Momay-Castillo strongly believes that her father was part of the convoy that escorted then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu to file his candidacy against then Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr., a member of the largest and most dominant political clan in Maguindanao who is now the lead suspect of the grisly crime.

“When the body of your father is out there, never recovered, this will bring us misery, forever,” said Reynaldo Momay’s daughter in an interview with Inquirer Mindanao.

Unsung

As of this day, Momay is considered to be the undeclared 58th victim of the massacre due to the lack of evidence confirming his presence in the crime scene. But despite having no official or legal association to the case, Reynafe is one with the rest of the victims’ families in their enduring pursuit of justice for their loved ones.

A former nurse at Sultan Kudarat Provincial Hospital, Reynafe now devotes all of her time monitoring the proceedings of the case. She is an active member of the Justice Now Movement, an organization pushing for a faster and more progressive granting of justice for the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre.

“I want to show to the government that I am seeking justice for my father as well,” she said. “As long as they see me, they will be reminded that someone remains missing.”

Still hunting for clues

After a short mass and flower offering during the second anniversary of the single most horrendous slay of journalists in history, all of the items unearthed from the grave site were presented to the families before they were reburied.

However, not one of them appeared to Reynafe as belonging to her missing father.

The only items that fuel Reynafe’s belief that her father was indeed a victim are his press ID and his dentures, both recovered several kilometers from the mass grave, as well as his red jacket and shoes that were placed beside a body that was initially mistaken for being Reynaldo’s.

But this did not bring the family’s hopes down. Atty. Harry Roque, the family’s legal representative, earlier claimed that such personal belongings make up for a ”strong evidence” in proving Reynaldo’s inclusion in the list of victims. Also, Aquiles Zonio, a reporter working for The Philippine Inquirer, has publicly stated that he saw Reynaldo in the convoy before pulling out from the coverage assignment.

“His body was never found but only if they dug deeper in the grave site where they dumped the bodies, my father could be there somewhere,” she said.

The fight continues

“For two years, I am without a father,” she told local newspapers. “For two years, there is no justice. And until now, I still search for his body.”

Despite the slow pace the proceedings on the case is taking, Reynafe, along with the rest of the victims’ loved ones, the Justice Now Movement, and the supporters of media freedom and human rights in the Philippines, is highly hoping that the government and the justice system will one day prove that the power of justice will not disappear and soon be forgotten, like her father Reynaldo.