The infamous and horrifying Maguindanao Massacre, also dubbed as the Ampatuan Massacre, took place in the town of Ampatuan in the province of Maguindanao in the Philippines on November 23, 2009. In the morning of November 23, mass graves were found composed of 58 dead bodies brutally shot along the road in the town of Ampatuan. The victims of the massacre included the wife of Mangadadatu, his two sisters, aides, lawyers, journalists and even civilians mistaken as part of the convoy.
The Maguindanao Massacre is considered to be the worst case of journalist killings in the history of the Philippines, and one of the worst in the world, having 32 journalists out of the 58 victims.
The victims of the massacre were on their way on filing the certificate of candidacy of Esmael Mangadadatu for the gubernatorial elections, which will consequently challenge the place of the Ampatuan Mangadadatu Jr. This is the reason why the massacre has been heavily linked to the Ampatuan clan.
Mangadadatu Jr is the son of Andal Ampatuan Sr, the current mayor of that time. The Mangadadatu clan is widely known in the province of Maguindanao, as they dominate the local governmental positions in the place. Moreover, they are one of the richest families in the province and are notorious for having a sizable private army.
This gruesome and deadly event only strengthened the reputation of the Philippines as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in the world. The rampant corruption and political domination in this third-world country are factors for the rich and powerful to silence media communities in disclosing such stories of political exploitation. Therefore, the right to the freedom of speech of the people in the country is truly heavily barred and only seems to be a bogus reality in the country. Criminal gangs and powerful politicians usually kill journalists in order to silence them, before any news about the corrupt practices of the government, both national and local, are brought out to the open. Even radio announcers and tabloid writers who have voiced out opinions about injustices in the country have been brutally murdered or mysteriously disappeared.
The international community, which includes the United Nations and the European Commission, have strongly criticized and condemned the Philippines, specifically Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, for this heinous crime. Arroyo, the incumbent President of that time, is known to have solid relations with the Ampatuan clan and is believed to be one of the reasons for the family’s growing wealth in the province.
