Vigil marks 1,000th day
since Maguindanao Massacre

MEDIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS will mark the 1,000th day since the Maguindanao Massacre with an overnight vigil beginning Sunday, August 19, 2012 at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani located at EDSA corner Quezon Avenue.

The massacre, which took place on November 23, 2009, has been recorded as the single most brutal attack against journalists in the world, and the worst case of election-related violence in the country. Members of the powerful Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao are accused of killing 58 people, including 32 journalists. The journalists had come along with the other victims to cover the filing of election papers for the candidacy of Esmael Mangudadatu, who is now governor of Maguindanao. Mangudadatu had decided to challenge the hold of the Ampatuan clan over Maguindanao in the May 2010 elections.

Groups participating in the overnight vigil at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani include the Philippine Press Institute, the national association of newspapers; the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, the national association of broadcasters; the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines; the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism; the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility; and various independent and mainstream media organizations and networks. Also participating are members of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and other civil society organizations.

“The vigil aims to remember the fallen victims of the massacre, whose death underscored the dire state of press freedom in the country,” said NUJP secretary general Rowena Paraan.

The event begins at four in the afternoon of Sunday, August 19, and ends at nine in the morning the next day. It will be marked by a candlelight vigil, and speeches by representatives of the various groups, and songs and performances by concerned and supportive artists. There will also be messages from relatives of the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre.

As well, there will be a film showing of documentaries produced by the PCIJ on the Maguindanao Massacre case. The documentaries discuss the ongoing murder charges against the Ampatuans, and their unyielding influence in Maguindanao. Too, the documentaries reveal the plight of relatives of the victims who are trying to fend off attempts by emissaries of the Ampatuans to strike an out-of-court settlement in exchange for the withdrawal of their complaints.

Documentaries on other media murder cases will also be screened at the site.

The public is invited to join this activity in commemoration of the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre on Sunday. For those interested,, feel free to drop by.

• Where: Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Edsa corner Quezon Ave
• When: 4 p.m. August 19, Sunday- 9 a.m. August 20, Monday