New complaint

The daughter of missing Midland Review photographer Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay filed before the Department of Justice in Manila last Jan. 17 murder charges against the 196 suspects in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao. Only 57 counts of murder had been filed in court. The Momay complaint raises the number of murder counts to 58.

To support her charge that Momay was among the journalists killed in the Massacre, his daughter Ma. Reynafe Momay-Castillo said Momay had told friends and colleagues that he would go to Buluan to cover a press conference called by then Buluan town vice-mayor and now Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu last Nov. 23, 2009. Momay allegedly joined the convoy led by the vice mayor’s wife Genalin Mangudadatu which was headed for the Shariff Aguak office of the Commission on Elections.

One of the witnesses cited by Castillo is a co-worker of her father at the Midland Review. Momay allegedly called Jimmy Laguna a few hours before the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

“Papang called (Jimmy Porras Laguna)…to apologize that he could not do as asked (pick-up copies of their newspaper) because he was already in a van with other media people to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy of Vice Mayor Mangudadatu at the COMELEC office in Shariff Aguak,” said Castillo.

The motorcycle Momay borrowed to go to the “press conference of Toto Mangudadatu” was also found at the house of Rep. Toi Mangudadatu in Buluan town, Maguindanao. Members of the media and supporters of the Mangudadatu family met at the house of Rep. Mangudadatu in Buluan before they left for Shariff Aguak.

Castillo also presented the dentures found by a team of forensic experts at the massacre cite which allegedly belonged to her missing father. Department of Justice has yet to issue a resolution on the complaint filed by Castillo.