Momay's Maguindanao massacre case to be reopened if body found –lawyer

The case of Maguindanao Massacre victim Reynaldo "Bebot" Momay would be reopened should his body be later found, a lawyer said on Balitanghali on Friday.

"Pwede po. Una, kung ang labi niya kanya talaga at may kinalaman nga doon sa- well, may time and place. Ang tawag po natin diyan circumstantial na no," said University of the Philippines-College of Law Professor Rowena Daroy-Morales.

On Thursday, a Quezon City Court convicted 28 individuals of 57 counts of murder in the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre.

However, due to his missing remains, the court acquitted all the accused over Momay's death due to reasonable doubt and dismissed his family's claims for damages. 

"Marami na po tayong kasong ganyan no. Hindi ibig sabihin na [nakita] yung damit, sapatos ay siya ay pinatay o pumatay. We're not even sure kung ano yung consideration. Isa ba siya sa pumatay o pinatay," Daroy-Morales explained.

"[P]ero may sinabing pinatay, hindi naman natin nakita kung sino yung pinatay, hindi natin alam kung 'yan ay namatay," she later added.

According to the court's 761-page decision, there was no trace of Momay after 10 a.m. on the day of the massacre. Eight days after the massacre, investigators found a partial upper denture at the massacre site that supposedly belonged to Momay.

However, Quezon City Court Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes ruled that the dentures did not prove Momay's presence nor his death at the massacre.

Due to this, Momay's daughter, Ma. Reynafe Momay-Castillo, lamented the court's decision and called for justice for her father. — Joahna Lei Casilao/DVM, GMA News