Preparations underway to mark anniversary of Maguindanao massacre

MANILA, Philippines - To mark the first anniversary of the massacre of 32 Filipino journalists in Maguindanao on Nov. 23, several media organizations are hosting activities promoting security for journalists.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines is hosting a safety training conference in Cebu. The congress will be concluded with a motorcade joined by families of the victims and members of NUJP local chapters to the massacre site. Rowena Paraan, the safety and training director of the NUJP said apart from providing journalists with the skills to protect themselves from threats, the conference was also designed to call the attention of the government to put an end to the culture of impunity in the country.

“This is to remind them that we continue to remember our fallen colleagues and our call for justice remains,” she said. Paraan said the group is pleased that there were witnesses who have surfaced to testify against the Ampatuan clan in the ongoing trial of the multiple murder case.

“It will be a long battle for justice but we are glad there are witnesses who surfaced,” she said.

On the same day, NUJP will hold a rally in Manila. On Nov. 22, the organization will award the winners of the 2010 multimedia competition for students.

The competition was organized by the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ) to enhance public awareness of the killing of journalists and the culture of impunity. Winners will receive P120,000 in cash prizes and certificates of recognition. FFFJ is composed of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI), Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP); the Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD), Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ); and Philippine News, a US-based newspaper.         

Other media groups-the International News Safety Institute (INSI), Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (PECOJON), and CCJD — are also holding a conference on security for journalists with the theme “Journalists in the Line of Fire: A Conference on Protecting the Messenger through Media and Multi-Sector Engagement.”

It will be held at the Marcelo B. Fernan Press Center in Cebu.

CCJD executive director Red Batario said they will present an 11-point guideline to ensure the safety of journalists and other media workers called “The Cebu Declaration: A Call to Action for the Protection of Journalists in the Philippines.”

He said that since 1986, 140 journalists and media staff in the country have been killed.

In Manila, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) together with the Bangkok-based South East Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) will host the Journalism Asia Forum (JAF) 2010 at the Manila Hotel.

The forum carries the theme “Media and the Culture of Impunity.”

CMFR executive director Melinda Quintos-de Jesus said the forum has been designed to initiate a discussion of recent violence committed against journalists and accompanying issues.                                                                                     

CMFR records show that 118 journalists in the Philippines have been killed in the line of duty since 1986, the year democracy was restored in the country.

76th massacre suspect arrested

Last Monday, Datu Jimmy Ampatuan, a member of the Ampatuan clan accused of the murders was arrested in Barangay Banaba, Datu Abdulahh Sangki town in Maguindanao.   

Senior Superintendent Benito Estipona, chief of Task Force Maguindanao, said Jimmy Ampatuan carries a P300,000 reward for his capture. 

“We are now hunting 119 more accused,” he said.

The multiple murder case is being heard by Quezon City Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Regional Trial Court Branch 221.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has offered P28 million for information that will lead to the arrest of the suspects that remain at large. – With Cecile Suerte Felipe