Media group says public must never forget Maguindanao massacre

Site of the Maguindanao massacre. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Saying they wanted to “make sure the public never forgets,” a group of media practitioners have begun a countdown to the fourth anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre, more than half of whose victims were journalists and other media workers.

The 22-day countdown began on Friday night at the Boy Scouts Circle in Quezon City, with the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines offering lit candles and a funeral wreath in memory of the 32 media workers slaughtered with 26 other people on November 23, 2009.

“We want to bring it back to the public consciousness. Four years after, many issues have come and gone. It is the duty of the media to make sure that the public never forgets,” said Rowena Paraan, NUJP chairperson.

Friday night’s activity coincided with the country’s observance of All Saints’ Day, when Filipinos usually pay their respects to their departed ones.

The start of the countdown is just one of many activities lined up for the fourth anniversary of the massacre, the bloodiest case of pre-election violence in the country’s history and the worst case of violence perpetrated against journalists anywhere in the world.

Four years after the slaughter, 108 of the 197 charged with the killings have been arrested but not all of them have been arraigned, and the trial itself has not gone beyond bail hearings.

Among the principal accused are members of the family of Andal Ampatuan Sr., who had ruled Maguindanao province since 1986, and have accused of masterminding the killings.

Most of the victims were traveling in a convoy of vehicles for the filing of the candidacy of then Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu of the town of Buluan, who was challenging Andal Ampatuan Jr. for the gubernatorial post in the 2010 elections. Among those killed were the wife and sister of Mangudadatu, who was not in the convoy, and subsequently won in the elections, other mostly women relatives and supporters.

The massacre happened during the term of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, an ally of the Ampatuans, and she herself is faced with a separate damage suit arising from the massacre.

Paraan lamented that four years after the carnage, justice has not been served.

“There must be constant public pressure so that the government, the courts will be always acting on the case. That is why we are initiating this countdown so people will not forget,” she said.

Other activities lined up for the fourth anniversary include a visit to the massacre site in the municipality of Ampatuan by members of the  victims’ families, and the formation of a human chain along Roxas Boulevard in Manila on November 22.

Representatives of the International Federation of Journalists are also expected to arrive in the country in time for the commemoration on November 23.

Paraan noted that while the government hopes to have a verdict  by the time President Benigno Aquino steps down, she hopes that the most guilty players will not go unpunished.

“The question is, will all the guilty ones be punished? We have to make sure that the principal accused will be convicted,” she added.