MANILA, Philippines – Major media alliances will embark on a fact-finding mission in Maguindanao province to look into the massacre of at least 13 colleagues.

Gathering in a news conference Tuesday in Quezon City, media practitioners from various organizations, led by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), expressed outrage over the incident and called on the government to prosecute the killers, regardless of who they were or who their connections in government were.

"We hope the Palace will not protect whoever is behind this because protecting the killers is tantamount to pulling the trigger yourself," said Rowena Paraan, NUJP director.

Malou Mangahas, executive director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), said a fact-finding mission would be organized by media members led by the PCIJ, NUJP, Philippine Press Institute, Southeast Asian Press Alliance, and the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists.

"What we want to see is an independent, fair and full report on what really happened in Maguindanao," Mangahas said.

The mission will also look into the assistance that can be extended to the families of the victims, she said.

Mangahas said several journalists in Cotabato City have started the initial work of gathering information on the incident. She assured that the initiative would be in coordination with proper authorities to ensure the safety of the participants.

Mangahas rued the apparent "lack of rage even within our ranks" on violence against journalists.

She said the incident should show that "we can't ignore the journalists anymore."

Mangahas noted that a total of 66 journalists had been killed in the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Reports have said that as many as 20 journalists could have been killed in the Maguindanao incident.

Jose Pavia of the PPI said journalists should not tire of reporting about the cases of killings and other forms of violence against their colleagues.

“We have to unite. If the bearers of news are the victims, there will no longer be any news. But the real victim is your right to know the truth,” said Pavia in Filipino.

Nonoy Espina, vice chairman of NUJP, said the attack against journalists was "not just an attack against press freedom but a setback to democracy."

He said that as early last week he received a message about the plan of the Mangudadatus to file their certificate of candidacy.

He said the police and the military knew about the filing and should have done something to avert the incident.

"The authorities knew, but where were they? It's a total breakdown of law and order, it's a total loss of governance," Espina said.

He said how government would handle the incident would be a "litmus test."

'"If government does not crack down on them, we might as well wave government goodbye," he said.

Paraan said the NUJP and other media organizations like the PPI, PCIJ, Kapisanan ng Brodkaster ng Pilipinas will hold a dialogue with the Philippine National Police on the safety of journalists in the area.