On December 7, 2009, the Department of the Interior and Local
Government Press Corps (DILG) which I head up to now, led officers and
members of other Quezon
City based press organizations in commemorating the now infamous
Ampatuan Massacre through a brief candle lighting vigil on the EDSA
portion of the DILG building. National Press Club President Benny
Antiorda also came.
Journalists from various media entities, responding to our call for
swift justice, also renewed their commitment to continue on despite
seemingly favorable developments in the case. On that same occasion,
11/23 was unanimously declared as a day of INFAMY, a day when press
freedom faced its worst challenge and, more appropriately, its worst
nightmare so far.
The Ampatuan carnage on 11/23 should also be remembered as a day when
democracy itself was assaulted by members of a moneyed and powerful
clan who faultily revered themselves as gods on that piece of land
down South. The date 11/23 shall be an awful reminder that freedom of
the press and our civil liberties are under constant threat from those
whose lust for power and greed for wealth seem endless.
Therefore, it is our vow to be most vigilant especially during these
trying times. We shall not keep our guards down.
As our fallen colleagues are laid to rest one by one, we shall
continue to rise above others in pursuing their cause. That is, to
bring to fore a factual recounting of everything that occurred within
the ambit of the country’s unique democratic setting.
We shall not fail them.
Until justice has been fully served by authorities and achieved by the
beareved families of the 57 or so innocent victims, and until all
suspects are punished, we will not rest.
As professional journalists, our lives maybe taken along the way and
at any given time. But no one, not even the most evil warlord, can
kill democracy.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Testing the water
We seek justice for Ampatuan, Maguindanao massacre victims, not
martial law. Hindi maitutuwid ng isa pang pagkakamali ang isang
pagkakamali. Civil liberties are already at stake here. The ampatuans
are murderers, not rebels. Armed groups have been massing up in
maguindanao since time immemorial. These groups, except for the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front, are even mostly government-sponsored. Why
martial law now? What's cooking?
Declaring Martial rule over Maguindanao is practically a crackdown on
civilian armed multipliers that were actually created by national and
local leaders to confront Muslim secessionists. Until the monsters
that they created began to pounce and prey on the very people they
were made to protect. Their loyalty rested on that piece of land’s
most powerful clan whose members, for years, have been closest to the
heart of their queen.
What could the queen be thinking? We could only guess. Her real
intention in putting the province under full military control is known
only to her and her closest lieutenants. One thing is certain though:
They are up to something which is far beyond the November 23 Ampatuan
massacre that claimed the lives of around 60 individuals, mostly
journalists. On an early morning press conference Saturday, Press
Secretary Cerge Remonde, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and the
chiefs of the armed services and the national police announced that
Proclamation 1959, that placed Maguindanao under military control, was
the government’s response to local and foreign clamor for justice for
the victims of the massacre. Quite plainly, that is putting words into
our mouths. And I didn’t like it. We never asked for it or anything
like it. The government is vested with enough powers to ensure that
all perpetrators in the mass killing are punished.
It was not only very alarming but chilling. Let’s just hope that the
president overreacted. No more no less.
There were at least 68 journalists killed and hundreds of political
activists, lawyers and other “left-leaning” personalities summarily
executed all over the country since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
assumed the presidency. Judging from how quickly the government
placed Maguindanao under Martial rule after 60 people were killed, it
is only logical to assume that she could replicate the move for the
whole country. What’s next? Jolo? Basilan? Quezon? Or all known
election hot spots? She only has to expand the coverage of her
proclamation, seek congress’ approval and voila! Elections are
suspended. “Rebels,” (activists, journalists etc) are immediately
“invited” for a free board and lodging vacation inside military camps.
We have a lot to worry about, considering the records of the present
administration. We cannot doubt the fact that the queen, given the
feasible and palatable “excuses” such as the Maguindanao massacre,
would cling to power.
Let us not give her the reasons to do so. We should take calculated
risks, be more circumspect in our actions and be most vigilant. If
she’s testing the water, let’s make it too hot for a dip and too
freezing for a plunge.
martial law. Hindi maitutuwid ng isa pang pagkakamali ang isang
pagkakamali. Civil liberties are already at stake here. The ampatuans
are murderers, not rebels. Armed groups have been massing up in
maguindanao since time immemorial. These groups, except for the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front, are even mostly government-sponsored. Why
martial law now? What's cooking?
Declaring Martial rule over Maguindanao is practically a crackdown on
civilian armed multipliers that were actually created by national and
local leaders to confront Muslim secessionists. Until the monsters
that they created began to pounce and prey on the very people they
were made to protect. Their loyalty rested on that piece of land’s
most powerful clan whose members, for years, have been closest to the
heart of their queen.
What could the queen be thinking? We could only guess. Her real
intention in putting the province under full military control is known
only to her and her closest lieutenants. One thing is certain though:
They are up to something which is far beyond the November 23 Ampatuan
massacre that claimed the lives of around 60 individuals, mostly
journalists. On an early morning press conference Saturday, Press
Secretary Cerge Remonde, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and the
chiefs of the armed services and the national police announced that
Proclamation 1959, that placed Maguindanao under military control, was
the government’s response to local and foreign clamor for justice for
the victims of the massacre. Quite plainly, that is putting words into
our mouths. And I didn’t like it. We never asked for it or anything
like it. The government is vested with enough powers to ensure that
all perpetrators in the mass killing are punished.
It was not only very alarming but chilling. Let’s just hope that the
president overreacted. No more no less.
There were at least 68 journalists killed and hundreds of political
activists, lawyers and other “left-leaning” personalities summarily
executed all over the country since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
assumed the presidency. Judging from how quickly the government
placed Maguindanao under Martial rule after 60 people were killed, it
is only logical to assume that she could replicate the move for the
whole country. What’s next? Jolo? Basilan? Quezon? Or all known
election hot spots? She only has to expand the coverage of her
proclamation, seek congress’ approval and voila! Elections are
suspended. “Rebels,” (activists, journalists etc) are immediately
“invited” for a free board and lodging vacation inside military camps.
We have a lot to worry about, considering the records of the present
administration. We cannot doubt the fact that the queen, given the
feasible and palatable “excuses” such as the Maguindanao massacre,
would cling to power.
Let us not give her the reasons to do so. We should take calculated
risks, be more circumspect in our actions and be most vigilant. If
she’s testing the water, let’s make it too hot for a dip and too
freezing for a plunge.
Martyrs of Press Freedom
I tried but still couldn’t find the right words to describe the
carnage in Maguindanao where scores of people, including friends from
the media, were mercilessly slaughtered. Such pure, unadulterated
evil. To say that I was outraged will be an understatement. The
perpetrators deserve the harshest penalty but death wouldn’t be
enough. Yet, we could do nothing to bring those people back to life.
The way that government, especially the uniformed services, did
nothing to prevent the massacre from taking place. The local
politicians and their minions who snatched the group composed of
members of a rival clan and journalists should now be the subject of
swift, relentless pursuit. Only by making them pay for their gruesome
crimes will authorities be able to win back the trust and confidence
of the public they have sworn to serve and protect. The abduction and
subsequent killing of our colleagues, all 27 of them, deserve the
strongest condemnation by everyone. They were there to cover a
legitimate democratic process which is the filing of a certificate of
candidacy by a politician bold enough to challenge the tyranny of the
Ampatuans. My sympathies also go to the families of innocent motorists
whose only mistake was to be at the wrong place at the awfully wrong
time. Without remorse, they were similarly killed and buried in
shallow graves, along with the martyrs of press freedom. No one could
fathom the depth of this evil. Plainly Satanic!
The Ampatuan massacre sent shivers down the spine of democracy itself.
The brutal act could no longer just be seen as an assault on press
freedom but a genocide aimed at wiping out democracy itself. The
Ampatuans now join the ranks of history’s darkest leaders such as
Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein et. al. Perhaps, by shooting the
messenger, the Ampatuans and their butchers have surpassed the records
of the world’s worst dictators.
The name Ampatuan is now synonymous to evil.
But who created them? The same people who are somehow offering them a
veil of protection. The same people who allowed the occurrence of this
carnage. Shame on them. Shame on the Ampatuans’ political patrons who
sold democracy to these demons in exchange for a seat in Malacanang
and for a 12-0 sweep in the most recent elections. Together, they
should go down in the annals of history as a blood thirsty alliance.
The 27 journalists who gave up their lives on that fateful Monday
morning may now be gone but their names shall reverberate forever in
the hearts and minds of other scribes and broadcasters who would
survive Philippine media’s holocaust.
Long live the 27 martyrs of press freedom! Long live all victims of
media killings!
carnage in Maguindanao where scores of people, including friends from
the media, were mercilessly slaughtered. Such pure, unadulterated
evil. To say that I was outraged will be an understatement. The
perpetrators deserve the harshest penalty but death wouldn’t be
enough. Yet, we could do nothing to bring those people back to life.
The way that government, especially the uniformed services, did
nothing to prevent the massacre from taking place. The local
politicians and their minions who snatched the group composed of
members of a rival clan and journalists should now be the subject of
swift, relentless pursuit. Only by making them pay for their gruesome
crimes will authorities be able to win back the trust and confidence
of the public they have sworn to serve and protect. The abduction and
subsequent killing of our colleagues, all 27 of them, deserve the
strongest condemnation by everyone. They were there to cover a
legitimate democratic process which is the filing of a certificate of
candidacy by a politician bold enough to challenge the tyranny of the
Ampatuans. My sympathies also go to the families of innocent motorists
whose only mistake was to be at the wrong place at the awfully wrong
time. Without remorse, they were similarly killed and buried in
shallow graves, along with the martyrs of press freedom. No one could
fathom the depth of this evil. Plainly Satanic!
The Ampatuan massacre sent shivers down the spine of democracy itself.
The brutal act could no longer just be seen as an assault on press
freedom but a genocide aimed at wiping out democracy itself. The
Ampatuans now join the ranks of history’s darkest leaders such as
Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein et. al. Perhaps, by shooting the
messenger, the Ampatuans and their butchers have surpassed the records
of the world’s worst dictators.
The name Ampatuan is now synonymous to evil.
But who created them? The same people who are somehow offering them a
veil of protection. The same people who allowed the occurrence of this
carnage. Shame on them. Shame on the Ampatuans’ political patrons who
sold democracy to these demons in exchange for a seat in Malacanang
and for a 12-0 sweep in the most recent elections. Together, they
should go down in the annals of history as a blood thirsty alliance.
The 27 journalists who gave up their lives on that fateful Monday
morning may now be gone but their names shall reverberate forever in
the hearts and minds of other scribes and broadcasters who would
survive Philippine media’s holocaust.
Long live the 27 martyrs of press freedom! Long live all victims of
media killings!
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