Victims' kin mark 1,000 days since Maguindanao massacre

MANILA, Philippines - Relatives of 58 Maguindanao massacre victims – 32 of them members of media – will hold a vigil today to mark the 1,000th day since the Nov. 23, 2009 bloodbath.

The victims’ families, along with various artists and media groups, are set to gather today at various points in Metro Manila and Mindanao to commemorate the crime, for which only 76 suspects – including members of the Ampatuan family – have been indicted. Of the 196 officials, police and militiamen accused in the case, more than 100 are still at large.

Malacañang assured the victims’ relatives yesterday the government remains committed to bringing the perpetrators of the massacre to justice.

“We do continue to listen to their concerns. We have said this in the past – the offer of security still stands if there are families of the victims who would like to avail of that security,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigal Valte said over radio station dzRB.

She said President Aquino’s order to “our prosecutors still stands – to avoid any delay on the part of the prosecution, and also to fight any delay that may be proposed, any dilatory tactics that may be done by the other party.”

According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the vigil be held at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani near the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue from 4 p.m. today until 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Among the media organizations that will join the vigil are the NUJP, Philippine Press Institute, Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and networks ABS-CBN and GMA 7.

Maguindanao police provincial director, Senior Superintendent Marcelo Pintac, urged participants in today’s commemoration not to visit the massacre site as the area is now considered a conflict zone due to the ongoing skirmishes between government security forces and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) rebels, headed by Ameril Umbra Kato.