MANILA - Loved ones of the 58 people who died in one of the most gruesome killings in the country's history cautiously hope for the conviction of all accused in the 2009 Ampatuan massacre.

A Quezon City court is set to rule on the case against members of the Ampatuan clan and several others after primary suspect Andal Ampatuan, Jr. filed his formal offer of evidence last Nov. 5.

This brings the 9-year-old case one step closer to a decision.

• Primary suspect in Maguindanao massacre submits formal offer of evidence

"We meet this news with renewed vigor and relief, for we have waited too long and have given so much to the case over the years," the families said in a statement Thursday.

Out of 58 victims who were mostly beheaded and mutilated in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009, 32 were journalists then covering the filing of the certificate of candidacy of Ampatuan clan rival Toto Mangudadatu.

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Mangudadatu, then vice mayor of Buluan town, was then running for governor, challenging Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., son of the then incumbent Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

The victims' relatives said they were confident that the evidence they presented during the trial, backed with testimonies of various witnesses, were enough to convict the accused.

They also expressed gratitude to law firm CenterLaw and to state prosecutors "for tirelessly litigating our case and for staying by our side for 9 years."

"The impending decision will undoubtedly go down in Philippine history as one of the most significant legal decisions to ever come from our trial courts regardless of the outcome," they said.

"More than a guilty verdict, we pray for a judgment that will bring a sense of humanity into this dark and regrettable incident," they added.

Originally filed in a Cotabato City court in December 2009, the consolidated case against the massacre suspects was transferred to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 the same month.

The first judge to whom the case was originally raffled inhibited for fear of his and his family's safety. Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes took over the case and the trial began in January 2010.

MORE THAN 100 ACCUSED FACED TRIAL

Out of 197 accused in the case, 103 underwent trial. Among the accused were Zaldy Ampatuan and Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan, who were eventually allowed to post bail.

• Maguindanao Massacre: Wheels of Justice

As the case dragged for 9 years, 4 of the accused died in detention, including former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., who passed away after suffering a massive heart attack in July 2015.

Meanwhile, in his formal offer of evidence, Andal Jr. listed documents to prove he was attending a meeting and never left Datu Unsay town when the massacre happened.

Gilbert Andres, lawyer for some of the victims, said the court will have to decide first whether or not to accept Ampatuan’s evidence before deciding on his criminal liability for the massacre.

He said 70 suspects in the Ampatuan massacre are still at large. He called on the Philippine National Police to arrest them. -report from Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News