Ni: Polo Quintana
“Gusto namin talaga ng rightful justice” (We just really want rightful justice) these are the words of Emily Lopez from an Al Jazeera interview, a family member of one of the victims that were killed in the Maguindanao Massacre in the Maguindanao Province in Mindanao, November 23, 2009.
In what was dubbed as the deadliest single-day attack on journalists in the world, the Ampatuans and their goons killed 58 people, some family members of the Ampatuans’ political rivals–the Mangudadatus. But more specifically, 32 of those killed were media workers who were there to cover the filing of candidacy for local elections. This specific and brutal targeting of journalists showed the world how important the role of the press is in the democracy of a country—making it a watershed moment in the history of press persecution.
Fifteen years later, the Massacre’s shadows continue to haunt the media landscape of the country leaving a legacy of fear for those who take up the mantle of journalism against state forces.
Frenchie Mae Cumpio is one such case. She is a 23-year old community journalist under Eastern Vista, an alternative media outfit in Eastern Visayas. She put her focus on reporting human rights abuses in the region detailing the experiences of peasant organizers in the hands of military elements, land-grabbing, and workers’ rights. Cumpio, along with 4 other activists, were illegally detained by state forces in their offices on February 7, 2020, they would be then dubbed as the ‘Tacloban 5.’ These illegal arrests pushed through under the guise of the activists allegedly being high-ranking officers of the CPP-NPA despite no substantial investigations made by authorities into these allegations.
Another is Alexa Pacalda. Pacalda, now a human rights worker in the Southern Tagalog region, was a campus journalist in Quezon for The Luzonian, the student publication of Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation. She was illegally detained without a warrant last September 14, 2019 while conducting a seminar about human rights among farmers in Barangay Magsaysay, General Luna, Quezon. She was detained for more than a week in the military camp of the 85th Infantry Battalion despite having no cases filed against her during the entire week.
These two cases represent a deeper, more elaborate network of impunity present in our society. Impunity that is targeted to silence journalists, media workers, human rights advocates, and dissent.
After all this grim talk about the massacre and press freedom, you might find yourself asking “what can I do?” As an individual, not a lot. Our journalists and media workers must have stronger protection on violence and intimidation that targets them. The justice system must also be improved to ensure perpetrators like the Ampatuans are held accountable. International pressure could also help. Organizations like Reporters Without Borders and the UN can play crucial roles in pressuring the Philippine government to act. These are things that an individual might not be able to do.
However, this is where public effort comes in. A collective Shakespearean ‘once more unto the breach, dear friends’ where more public awareness and media solidarity greatly pushes the campaign for press freedom even further. We have to actively fight against this silencing of dissent and our right to a free press. Participate in press freedom forums, talk about illegally detained journalists in social media, let other people know about the state of press freedom in the country. Actively fight for your human rights by informing yourself about them, because it is through knowing your fundamental human rights that you may begin to defend other people’s human rights.
The Maguindanao Massacre remains a stark reminder of the dangers faced by journalists before and in the present day. While progress has been made in holding perpetrators accountable, true justice will only be achieved when press freedom is fully protected, and no journalist fears for their life in pursuit of the truth. As the late UP College of Mass Communication former dean and AlterMidya founding chairperson, Luis V. Teodoro said “the categorical imperative today is for journalists to defend human rights.”
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