Journalists from the Visayas light candles at the markers of the 32 media persons killed in the Ampatuan Massacre of 2009 ahead of the 15th anniversary commemoration of the carnage. The Visayas journalists’ visit at the site in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan municipality in Maguindanao del Sur on Thursday (21 November 2024) was part of the four-day “Inside BARMM: A Walk Through the Bangsamoro Region” activity of the Mindanao Institute of Journalism (publisher of MindaNews) and the International Media Support (IMS). MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 23 November) – Fifteen years after the gruesome Ampatuan Massacre and five years after the conviction of 44 individuals, only “partial justice” has so far been rendered to the 58 victims, including 32 media workers, of the gory manslaughter, an official of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said.
The November 23, 2009 Ampatuan Massacre was the worst election-related violence in the nation’s history and the single deadliest attack against media workers anywhere in the world, and with the midterm national and local elections scheduled in May 2025, the NUJP called for the greater protection of journalists while performing their duties.
Kath Cortez, NUJP safety officer, emphasized that while the December 2019 verdict provided some sense of justice, it was only “partial.”
Many suspects remain at large, some were acquitted, and the Ampatuan family continues to appeal the guilty verdict, she stressed.
The families of the victims have not yet been compensated as ordered by the lower court, she added.
On December 19, 2019, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Regional Trial Court Branch 221 in Quezon City found Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr., his brothers Zaldy and Anwar and 25 other principals guilty beyond reasonable doubt and ordered them to pay the heirs of 57 victims a total of 155.5 million pesos for civil indemnity; moral, exemplary, temperate and actual damages; and loss of earning capacity.
The 58th victim, Reynaldo Momay, was not included in the ruling because according to the court, “whether Momay died or was missing” after November 23, 2009 “could not be ascertained as no evidence of his actual death was adduced.”
The Ampatuans had appealed the case at the Court of Appeals (CA). If the CA affirms the decision of the lower court, the Ampatuans are likely to appeal to the Supreme Court.
With the coming May 2025 elections, Cortez appealed to relevant government agencies to ensure the safety and access of journalists covering the polls.
“It’s not just about ensuring the safety of journalists, but also about ensuring access to information,” she said.
“We should not be limited or intimidated when we perform our job as journalists,” she added.
The NUJP and the families of the media workers killed in the massacre commemorated the 15th anniversary last November 20. They lit candles and offered red ribbons at the massacre site. A similar ceremony was also conducted at some of the victims’ graves in Forest Lake, General Santos City.
Additionally, forums were held in colleges and universities in the National Capital Region to raise awareness about the massacre and its impact on the working press. A protest was scheduled in Manila today, November 23, with NUJP chapters across the country holding candlelight vigils.
In seeking for greater protection of journalists, Cortez cited continued impunity in cases like the killing of Percy Lapid under the current Marcos administration.
This lack of accountability perpetuates a cycle of violence against the media, ultimately hindering the public’s right to information, she added.
“The list of media attacks in the country is too long,” Cortez lamented, adding that the issue is often politicized.
She urged politicians to move beyond campaign promises and find concrete solutions to address media attacks and protect press freedom.
In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which is holding its first parliamentary elections simultaneous with the midterm national and local polls in May 2025, journalists there discussed the challenges they are facing in helping hold credible elections while keeping themselves safe.
They shared their concerns during the “Dialogue: Safeguarding the Bangsamoro Votes vis-a-vis Protecting the Election Defenders” last November 17, an event organized by the Westminster’s Foundation for Democracy (WFD), a UK-supported initiative for promoting democracy. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
