The relatives of the victims of the Antique 7 Massacre appealed to the Supreme Court on January 3 against the Ombudsman’s dismissal of the criminal case they filed for the state forces’ war crimes and killing. The said case was filed in August 2019.

The relatives filed a case against the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) forces for killing seven revolutionaries, namely Felix Salditos, Peter Mecenas, Jayson Talibo, Liezel Bandiola, Jason Sanchez, Eldie Labinghisa, and Karen Ceralvo. The seven were unarmed National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) staff defenselessly killed at midnight on August 15, 2018, in Barangay Atabay, San Jose, Antique.

In the certiorari petition filed by the families with the Supreme Court, they called for the reversal of the Ombudsman’s decision. They claimed that there is sufficient forensic evidence to charge the PNP and AFP and to investigate other government troops involved in the massacre. The autopsy conducted by the Commission on Human Rights revealed marks of blunt force on the victims’ bodies, contrary to the police and military’s claim that the seven were killed by gunfire.

“The Ombudsman’s dismissal of the charges, based on the questionable application of the ‘presumption of regularity’ principle and the refusal to subpoena crucial documents, has denied justice to the victims and their families and reinforced impunity in the country,” according to the Panay Alliance Karapatan.

In their appeal to the Supreme Court, the victims’ families hope to achieve justice and accountability for the Antique 7 Massacre. “We call on the Supreme Court to ensure that the Philippine government complies with its legal obligations to strictly apply humanitarian and human rights law during armed conflict and to investigate and punish crimes attributed to state forces,” the group further stated.

The group also called on the public and human rights and justice advocacy groups to support the families in their quest for truth and accountability.