A million flames for justice, hope

A GATHERING of hundreds of journalists and press freedom advocates from around the world, and the lighting of a million candles to rekindle dimming hopes and to light the way for justice will mark the commemoration of the Ampatuan Massacre on November 23.

This year marks half a decade after the carnage in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao where 58 people were killed – 32 of them reporters and media workers – making it the single deadliest attack on journalists all over the globe. The killings were allegedly ordered by members of a warlord clan who were allies of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

For the first time, hundreds of journalists will gather in a single place in the Philippines as two big events – Uncovering Asia: The First Asian Investigative Journalism Conference, and Journalism Asia – dovetail with the commemoration in the capital of Manila.

Uncovering Asia, organized by the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), will gather more than 200 investigative journalists from at least 25 countries in Asia and other regions. Journalism Asia, on the other hand, is organized by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and the Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA).

The “Million Candles Campaign,” led by CMFR in the Philippines, and the International Freedom Exchange (IFEX), will also be held on the International Day to End Impunity. IFEX declared the international campaign in 2011 to coincide with the commemoration of the Ampatuan Massacre.

Delegates to Uncovering Asia and Journalism Asia are expected to join Filipino journalists in lighting candles at the EDSA Shrine at 6 p.m.

You can take part in this activity by lighting a candle wherever you are on November 23, 2014 at 6 p.m.