QC rites start countdown to massacre anniversary

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

An organization of media practitioners has launched a countdown to the fourth anniversary of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre to keep the pressure up in the search for justice in what was considered the worst election-related violence and media killing in the world.

The 22-day countdown began Friday night at the Boy Scouts Circle in Quezon City, with the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) offering candles and a funeral wreath in memory of the media workers who were killed on Nov. 23, 2009.

Four years after

“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 chair.

Friday night’s activity coincided with the observance of All Saints’ Day.

The countdown is just one of many activities lined up by the NUJP for the fourth anniversary of the massacre, which left 58 people dead, including 32 media practitioners.

Four years later, only about half of the 195 accused have been arrested and are facing trial in a Quezon City court.

Andal Ampatuan Jr. leads the list of the accused that included other members of his influential family (a strong Mindanao ally of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo), their supporters and some local policemen.

Most of the victims were part of the convoy of then Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, who was about to challenge the Ampatuans for the gubernatorial seat in the local elections.

The massacre happened during the term of Arroyo, who is also facing a separate damage suit over the killings in another Quezon City court.

Paraan noted that in the years following the mass murders, justice has yet to be served.

Constant public pressure

“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 Ampatuan town, Maguindanao province, with the victims’ families, and the formation of a human chain on Roxas Boulevard in Manila on Nov. 22.

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

Paraan noted that while the government hopes to have a verdict by the time President Aquino steps down in 2016, she hopes that the most guilty parties 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.