PILI, CAMARINES SUR—Journalism student Jevan Dex Miranda was a child when the inconceivable happened: bodies unearthed by a backhoe, families grieving while searching for their loved ones, and headlines marking the Philippines as the setting of the deadliest single attack on journalists in world history.
Miranda was among the students, human rights advocates and media practitioners who renewed their calls for justice as they commemorated the 16th anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre last Nov. 23 at Bicol University (BU) in Legazpi City, Albay.
“Injustices against journalists persist, affecting not only practitioners and professionals but also campus journalists,” said the 21-year-old associate editor of the Bicol Universitarian.
On Nov. 23, 2009, supporters of Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu and 32 journalists and other media workers were on their way to witness the filing of his certificate of candidacy for governor in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, when armed men linked to the powerful Ampatuan clan intercepted them. The armed men mowed down the convoy, killing 58 persons and burying the bodies in a hill in Sitio Masalay using a government-owned backhoe.
For many, especially the families of those killed, the events of that day remain painfully vivid. And today’s students, including those yet unborn in 2009, learn, remember, and resist.
The role of media
Across campuses, publications and organizations produce special issues and hold forums and creative protests to confront the culture of impunity.
At the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, campus journalists and students lit candles in front of Plaridel Hall as part of Break Free, the annual monthlong campaign of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)-UP Diliman.
The College of Media and Communication Student Council, University Student Council, UP Journalism Club, and UP Solidaridad organized this year’s commemoration with the theme “Challenging unchecked power: The role of media in holding power to account.”
At Bicol University, the Bicol Organization of Neo-Journalists (BONJour) led the commemoration of the mass killings through the event “Never Again, Never Forget, Never Firewalled: 11.23 at 16.”
A virtual forum featuring NUJP-Albay vice chair Irene Jaymalin-Perol and online journalist Reinnard Balonzo discussed contemporary threats such as digital harassment, Red-tagging, and disinformation, which are different in form but rooted in the same impunity.
Students simultaneously held a static rally at the BU Pyramid, holding up placards and calling for accountability for the 58 victims. Organizers emphasized the importance of peaceful solidarity.
A candle-lighting ceremony was held to honor the victims and to symbolize the unresolved issues surrounding the case. The demand for full justice and stronger protection for journalists was reaffirmed.
BONJour president Jevan Dex Miranda described the event as, more than a ritual, a reminder of the constant vulnerability of journalists.
“We should unite and combine our efforts in remembering those who risked their lives for this profession. We must stand firm and be the voice against those who dare to intimidate us,” Miranda said.
Long road to justice
On Dec. 19, 2019, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court convicted the accused members of the Ampatuan clan of 57 counts of murder and sentenced them to reclusion perpetua without parole. The 28 co-accused, including police officers, received 40-year sentences, while 15 others were convicted as accessories.
Fifty-six others, including Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan, were acquitted.
The families of the victims have urged the Court of Appeals in a petition to resolve the consolidated appeals and to formally recognize photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, whose body was never recovered, as the 58th victim.
In their motion, the heirs of 19 victims emphasized the lasting toll of the unresolved case.
“Their 16th year commemoration of the Maguindanao massacre has shown that they continue to suffer and are still suffering from extreme personal and generational trauma, depression, and inescapable grief, especially when November 23 approaches each year,” part of the petition read.
At Bicol University, journalism student Miranda called on other students to remain vigilant against oppression. “To those who continue to strive for the betterment of society not only for themselves but also for those who are oppressed and disrespected by a system corrupted by injustice and malice within our government, know that your efforts matter,” he said.
