Continuous Cycle of Impunity and Injustices

It has been 16 years since the Maguindanao Massacre, dubbed as the deadliest single attack against the press in history. It was a heinous politically motivated crime– election violence turned to mass killing. On the 23rd day of November 2009, 58 people were killed in Brgy. Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao, and 32 of them are journalists and media workers. An investigation revealed that it was a planned execution by the Ampatuan clan to stop their political rival– the Mangudadatu to run for the position of governor.

The subsequent investigation revealed that the entourage of Mangudadatu clan was ambushed and rained with endless bullets, victims cruelly executed and buried in a shallow mass grave in Maguindanao’s mountainous areas that might have been dug even before the massacre happened. Andal Ampatuan Jr., led his private army with over 100 heavily armed individuals in executing the crime, gunning not just their rivals, but also media workers and civilians. They became victims of political dispute between rival clans for supreme power in the province, resulting in the downfall of Ampatuan's political dynasty and long-running feudalism. 

“The massacre claimed nearly an entire generation of journalists from the small print and broadcast communities of General Santos, Koronadal City, and nearby areas,” stated in a fact-finding report of Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, MindaNews, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. 

Journalism of today and continuous impunity in the Philippines 

Over 170 deaths of media practitioners have been documented since 1986 and more than 30 of these were linked to the Maguindanao Massacre. Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (2025) recorded 184 cases of threats and attacks against media workers from the span of July 1, 2022 to 30th of April 2025 only. The most prominent attack is intimidation with over 80 cases recorded, consisting of 48 red-tagging cases. Out of these 184 cases, more than 70 involved state agents, and 11 cases were associated with officials from Duterte’s term and still continuing during the current administration utilizing the same tyrannical scheme. Under Marcos Jr.’s term, five (5) journalists were killed and one was shot during a live broadcast. 

These media killings show how impunity still persists in the Philippines and even more threatening than before as it is becoming a constant cycle of clear violation of human rights– muting democracy and damaging freedom of the press. It becomes an unending pattern, which is scarier for journalists aiming to deliver and in pursuit of truth but will only be greeted by ferocity. 

Still worsening of justice system 

The Maguindanao Massacre was also called by most of the Philippine media as the “trial of the decade” as it took 10 years before the announcement of the verdict. It was long enough that out of 197 people with murder charges, eight of them died including Andal Ampatuan Sr. Despite surrendering to the authorities and plenty of evidence, Ampatuans still feign innocence and have also appealed the verdict. That is the reality of the Philippine justice system– acting fast on detaining marginalized sectors for merely surviving on a daily basis but takes too long when it comes to the elite. An estimated 200 civilians were imprisoned and harassed rapidly  during the commemorative protest on Martial Law on September 21 this year in Mendiola, but none of the corrupt politicians and DPWH contractors stealing billions from the Filipinos with flood control projects still haven’t faced any form of repercussions from their doings. The country’s justice system remains unfair, it does not differ to what it was before– still slow and unhinged. 

The Maguindanao Massacre remains a commemoration, reminding different communities of the necessity of press freedom and holding accountability of perpetrators to discontinue the injustices in the Philippines. Defending press freedom will not be this difficult if journalists and media workers are fully protected and respected as the government’s watchdog. However it is still tough to defend it in one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. This is not only a fight for freedom of the press, but also for everyone’s basic human rights– to uphold and pursue them. Each crime and attack further stabilizes the cycle of impunity in the Philippines– and it is the stability that must be shaken up in our pursuit of justice. 

Defend Press Freedom! End Impunity! 

References

BBC News. (2014, November 23). Philippines marks 2009 Maguindanao massacre anniversary. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-30166405

Center for Media and Responsibility. (2025, May). The State of Media Freedom in the Philippines 2025. PCIJ. https://pcij.org/2025/05/03/cmfr-state-of-media-freedom-in-the-philippines-2025/

Committee to Protect Journalists. (2010, January). Journalists Killed in 2009 - Motive Confirmed: Henry Araneta. https://www.refworld.org/reference/annualreport/cpj/2010/en/80609

Jorgio, J., & Griffiths, J. (2019, December 19). Maguindanao massacre: Guilty verdict in Philippines mass murder case. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/18/asia/philippines-maguindanao-massacre-verdict-intl-hnk

Reporters Without Borders. (2024, November 22). Philippines: 15 years after the Ampatuan massacre, RSF urges government to end impunity for crimes against journalists. RSF. https://rsf.org/en/philippines-15-years-after-ampatuan-massacre-rsf-urges-government-end-impunity-crimes-against