by Isaiah Castro
Twelve years after the Ampatuan massacre, “the fight continues” for justice and genuine press freedom in the country.
Delegates and panelists of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism’s (PCIJ) 2nd National Conference on Investigative Journalism paid tribute and offered a minute of silence for the 58 victims of the Ampatuan massacre, 32 of whom were journalists and media workers.
In November 23, 2009, the victims were en route to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan, Maguindanao, when they were blocked midway and later slaughtered by armed goons. Mangudadatu was challenging the powerful Ampatuan political dynasty for the gubernatorial office in the forthcoming 2010 national elections. At least 198 suspects and members of the Ampatuan clan were nabbed after the mass grave and the backhoe used to dig it were uncovered. The carnage remains one of the worst cases of election-related violence in the world to date.
On December 2019, Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes judged Ampatuan brothers, Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr and Zaldy Ampatuan, of 57 counts of murder and sentenced them to reclusion perpetua without parole. Another 28 co-accused, including police officers with ties to the clan, were also convicted of 57 counts of murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison. The rest, including one of the main suspects, then mayor Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan, were acquitted.
Press freedom advocates, however, assert that the case is far from over, and that the lives and operations of critical press continue to face harassment under the Duterte administration.
“Even as we call for justice for the 58, NUJP also stands in solidarity with media workers who have been harassed, attacked and killed since 2009. In the constantly changing media landscape, attacks are no longer limited to physical ones,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said in an official statement. NUJP chairperson Jonathan De Santos also led the minute of silence during the conference’s opening session.
“The Ampatuan Massacre is a symbol and a symptom of the culture of impunity on the attacks on media and other civilians. It is a grim reminder of the rottenness of the political system ruled by dynasties and warlords,” NUJP added.
WATCH: Opening Session and Plenary of PCIJ IJ Con 2021
Pandemic worsens national and local press constraints
Among 180 nations, the Philippines ranked 138th in the Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index for 2021.
Under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) reports a total of 229 incidents of threats and attacks on journalists and media organizations. A total of 21 journalists were slain, 6 of whom died during the pandemic and another 8 during the height of the president’s brutal war on drugs. Other forms of intimidation include tailing, red-tagging, and libel charges, among others. Even worse, these victims are blamed for their participation in political affairs and their work is devalued.
The open plenary was followed by a series of breakout sessions on topics of human rights reporting, investigating environmental crimes, and a situationer on the future of the peace process in Mindanao. PCIJ’s 2nd national conference runs from November 23 to 27, 2021.
