How long does it take to get justice in this country? For the family of Navy Ensign Philip Andrew Pestaño, the wait has taken more than 17 years so far, and the wheels of justice continue to turn slowly.
In September 1995, Pestaño, 24, was found dead in his cabin aboard the Navy ship Bacolod City, where he served as cargo and deck officer. He died from a gunshot to the head that his shipmates claimed was self-inflicted. His family, on the other hand, said he had discovered that the ship’s cargo consisted of illegally cut logs and about 50 sacks of shabu passed off as flour. Pestaño reportedly refused to clear the cargo.
Ten Navy officers were indicted for murder in January last year by the Office of the Ombudsman, but the Sandiganbayan junked the case in October, saying it had no jurisdiction over the officers. The case is finally moving in the Manila Regional Trial Court, which has ordered the arrest of the accused. Last Monday, six of the officers still in the active service surrendered even as they maintained their innocence.
The defendants point to a suicide letter purportedly left behind by Pestaño. The ensign’s relatives question the authenticity of the handwriting in the letter. The defendants themselves should want this case resolved quickly and with finality. If they are falsely accused as they insist, the long wait for their name to be cleared is also an injustice. With the surrender of the six officers, the trial should now move quickly. Both sides want justice, and the nation is waiting for the truth.