六年后,菲律宾袭击者仍未受到惩罚

AS IT IS 2015-11-25 Six Years Later, Philippines Attackers Still Not Punished 六年后,菲律宾袭击者仍未受到惩罚

Six years after almost 60 people were killed in the southern Philippines during elections, no one has been sentenced to prison.

One of the main suspects has died. One of his sons -- who was accused in the attacks -- is running for political office.

The attack happened in Maguindanao province in the southern island of Mindanao. At least 57 people were killed. At least half were reporters, says the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.

Alwyn Alburo is the vice¹ chairman of the union. He says the political climate in the area has not changed since the attack.

“Political patronage², warlord-ism, private armies, electoral violence, electoral dishonesty -- these are all still present. And even the corruption³ of our colleagues in the media -- these are all meant to just further that status quo of those who are in power.”

Union officials say 196 people are suspected of planning or carrying out the attacks. They are not optimistic that the attackers will be punished soon, they say. But they will continue to talk about the attack and help the victims’ families.

On November 23, 2009, more than 100 men shot at a group of reporters and supporters of Esmael Mangudadatu. He was a candidate for governor of Maguindanao.

He is now in his second term as governor.

Mangudadatu sent his wife and sisters to the area to deliver his registration⁴ as a candidate. The reporters were there to document the event.

The victims were shot on a mountainside and buried in a large grave, says the Committee to Protect Journalists. The grave was dug using government-owned construction equipment, the committee reports.   

The committee says other reporters have been attacked in the Philippines since then. It said the killing⁵ of reporters often goes unpunished. It said this has affected⁶ reporters’ work.

Members of a group that was fighting to control the province have been charged with the attack.

Officials say Andal Ampatuan Jr. led the group that killed. His father, three brothers and another family member have been charged with planning the attack.

The family members deny being involved in the attack. They have asked to be released from jail, but most of their requests have been denied.

Andal Ampatuan Sr. died in July. Earlier this year, one of his sons -- Sajid Islam Ampatuan -- was released from jail after paying bail⁷. He is now campaigning to become mayor of Shariff Aguak, the capital of Maguindanao.

Alwyn Alburo says President Benigno Aquino is not pushing enough for the attackers to be punished.

Edwin Lacierda is a spokesman for the president. He called Alburo’s accusation⁸ “unfair.” Lacierda says the courts are dealing⁹ with the case.

He said the president hopes a decision can be reached in the case before his term ends in July. 

Political expert Ramon Casiple said he is optimistic that the alleged¹⁰ attackers and planners will be punished. He notes that their requests for bail are being challenged. He said the main problem is that some criminals in his country are not punished for 10 years after their illegal acts.

Words in This Story

patronage – n. the power to give jobs or provide other help to people as a reward for their support (often used disapprovingly)

warlord – n. a leader of a military group who is not officially recognized and who fights against other leaders, groups or governments

status quo – n. the current situation; the way things are now

registration – n. the act or process of entering names on an official list

bail – n. an amount of money given to a court to allow a prisoner to leave jail and return later for a trial

optimistic - adj. hopeful; a feeling that good things will happen

deliver - v. to take something to a place or to a person

grave - n. burial grounds; a place where remains¹¹ are buried

alleged - adj. accused to having done something; reported

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 patronage   

n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场

参考例句：

• Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午，店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
• I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉，我的赞助只能到此为止。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

8 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。