Members of the Dumaguete tri-media yesterday condemned in the strongest terms possible the election-related brutal massacre in Maguindanao that left at 57 people dead, including a dozen journalists, as of last count.

Various reactions were issued by the local press as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared Thursday a National Day of Mourning following Monday's attack on a convoy of about 46 people who were on their way to file the certificate of candidacy of Maguindanao Vice Mayor Datu Ismail “Toto” Mangudadatu in the town of Shariff Aguak .

Mangudadatu is seeking the gubernatorial post of Maguindanao in the May 2010 polls.

The convoy, led by Mangudadatu's wife, Genalyn, was attacked by at least 100 armed men allegedly from the camp of the Ampatuan political clan, the closest political rival of the Mangudadatu clan.

A joint statement and pooled editorial issued by the Dumaguete Press Club, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and the local chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines condemned all forms of political vendetta, especially in Mindanao .

The people responsible for the crime, regardless of their reasons, have no place nor moral ascendancy to hold public office, the statement said.

“We the journalists and broadcasters in Dumaguete, demand in the most vocal terms possible, the immediate if not speedy arrest of the perpetrators of this dastardly crime, which has no place at all in a civilized society”.

The statement also called for the suspension of elections in violence-prone areas in the country and for the police and Armed Forces to remain neutral and apolitical before, during and after the election period.

Local media also expressed fear that if the perpetrators of the Maguindanao massacre are not be arrested, charged in court and punished, the “unsolved murderous political vendetta might even trigger other deadlier forms of electoral violence as the election season has started its countdown.”

Personal opinions were also shared by broadcast and print journalists yesterday as they gathered briefly to join in the National Day of Mourning.

“It's barbaric, inhumane, a new form of martial law. Shame on the politicians who use the media as their human shield. I just hope that our government will face the challenge to solve the massacre, regardless of political affiliation by the suspected perpetrators and masterminds,” John DX Lapid of the local ABS-CBN said.

Roy August Bustillo of Killer Bee-FM and president of the local KBP chapter said the media is supposed to be an institution that people can rely on, seek help from, and expect an unbiased avenue but with regards to the incident in Maguindanao, the world of media was violated, harassed, and put into oblivion. There is a danger now that lawlessness is over and above order.

Irma Faith Pal of the Dumaguete Metro Post said that everyone should be outraged by acts of brutality like the Maguindanao massacre. “We should not allow government to condone such crimes in our civilized society, especially that innocent civilians and journalists, merely doing their jobs were butchered. The mastermind, the perpetrators of the crimes should be punished in the harshest terms.”

Maricar Aranas of Fil Products Cable TV Channel 6 also said that the Maguindanao massacre is a violation of the freedom of the press. “Violators should be punished. I have offered prayers for the victims”.

Syril Repe of DYRM-AM and stringer of The Freeman called for an honest and unbiased investigation by the Commission on Human Rights and other agents of the state as the victims' rights were clearly violated.

Broadcaster Edmund Sestoso noted that the incident “has confirmed earlier statements by media groups like the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines that the Philippines is one of the most dangerous places to practice the profession. Media killings have been resorted to by vested interest and individuals without considering the vital role that the media plays in a supposed democratic society like ours”.

Dumaguete Press Club vice-president and DYWC-AM anchor Indira Requiron said “it is disheartening to note that they (perpetrators) no longer value the lives of the men and women in the media who risked their lives just to get the message across. These ruthless criminals should suffer the full force of the law”.*JFP

back to top