It was on November 23, 2009, when 58 civilians—32 of them journalists—were brutally killed in the infamous Maguindanao Massacre. However, exactly 11 years later and now passing three administrations, justice remains elusive.
To commemorate the death of the victims of the brutal mass killing in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, Laban PUP and PUP College of Communication Student Council, together with other progressive youth organizations in the university, held "Impunity Breeds Impunity: Ika-11 Taon ng Maguindanao Massacre" yesterday, November 23.
The program aims to remember the brutal attack that killed 58 civilians, most of them journalists, and call attention to the unending attack of the government against press freedom.
Moreover, they are calling for absolute justice to continually be served to the victims of the massacre; to hold the suspects accountable for their crimes and no longer be instruments of violence and brutality; to give more protection to the members of the media especially after the administration organized the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS); to deliver appropriate punishment to the suspects notwithstanding them being government officials; to junk the Anti-Terror Law; and for President Rodrigo "Roa" Duterte, with his appointed officials, to resign from their positions.
"Ang mga dapat na managot ay mananagot. Ang mga umutang ng dugo ay magbabayad. Ang masa ay patuloy na titindig at maniningil," Laban PUP stated in their facebook post.
The program started with a short narration of the timeline of the Maguindanao Massacre.
Solidarity speeches were also then delivered by various organizations namely PUP COC Student Council, Circle of Research Enthusiasts, DZMC, PUP COC Ensemble, PUP Journalism Guild, Mulat Documentary Guild, PUP Bukluran sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Viva Voce COC, Anakbayan PUP COC, Kabataan Partylist PUP COC, Samasa PUP, PUP SPEAK, The Catalyst, The Freehand, SocioChronicles Publication, Underscore PUP DCR, and Laban PUP.
Music videos from the 2019 Music Video Festival with the theme, "Alpas, Pakikipabaka sa Ngalan ng Malayang Pamamahayag", were also showed during the program including Alpas (Gorilla Productions), Anino (Matalinhaga Productions), Isang Dipang Hukay (Libertad Productions), Istorya (Puskal Productions), Kalayawan (Talin-Haya Productions), Kendi (Kuliglig Productions), Pihitan (Carte Blanche Productions), Piyesa (Alpayo Productions), Pulang Tinta (Kalachuchi Productions), Saksi (Matyag Productions), Salaya (Batak Productions), Shariff Aguak (Paraluman Films), Si Mulat, Sapul (Alas Productions), Silakbo (Dalumat Productions), Sumalangit Nawa (Abaniko Productions), Tanikala (Kalasipan Productions), and Tayo, Tayo (Half Rice Productions).
Said music videos emphasize how the administration continues to silence the truth by its unending attack on press freedom, and how fear is continually instigated to the people to shut them up and not speak for the truth. They are also calling out the rampant misinformation especially evident under the current government.
The program ended with a minute of silence to remember all those killed in the massacre. —Chrisha Nicole C. Acal/The Freehand News
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