It was only weeks ago in November that the Filipino was the toast of the world in the persons of Manny Pacquiao and CNN Hero of the year Efren Penaflorida.
This did not last long as the glory was obliterated by a grisly incident that would shake the nation and the entire world.
The Maguindanao massacre has flung the Philippines to the lowest abyss of
embarrassment and shame.
We have become the most dangerous nation for journalists, even surpassing war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan .
As of last count, 57 persons were dead in what were the worse political killings ever to occur not only in Mindanao but also in the whole nation. The carnage was so cruel and senseless that even women were not spared, their private parts pumped with bullets and one of them, the wife of gubernatorial candidate Esmael Mangundadatu had her eyes gouged out and legs cut off.
30 journalists, whose only sin was to routinely do their job of news reporting were among the casualties. Their number was the single fatality of media members ever to be killed in a single day, setting off a world record that even battlegrounds of Iraq and Afghanistan cannot measure up.
As of press time, the main suspect, datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. scion of the warlord boss of the province of Maguindanao. Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. is now under custody after his “voluntary surrender “.
Known in his province as the”hatchetman,“reports said he resented the news that his main rival Bulusan mayor Esmael Magundadatu is challenging his bid to become governor of the province . The Ampatuans has absolute power over this part of Mindanao and Mangundadatu’s action meant an affront to their stranglehold on political power.
The Ampatuans were largely responsible for the presidential victory of Mrs.
Gloria M. Arroyo delivering millions of questionable votes against her main rival the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.
It was this alleged cheating in Mindanao that prevented Poe from becoming president and the bone of contention in his protest with the COMELEC.
The Ampatuans were also the architects of another massive election fraud in the last 2007 senatorial elections when opposition candidates received an impossible zero votes in the area.
So powerful were this clan that even applying for a simple business permit for a sari-sari store, one would need their approval and scrutiny, reports said.
They have a formidable private army equipped with the latest high-powered arms and they have conveniently used them to harass or terrorize the province reports said.
Because of this fact, the president Mrs. Arroyo had a debt of gratitude and this can be gleaned from the statement of one of her “mouthpieces “ presidential spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo who said the president, despite what happened in Maguindanao is not abandoning the Ampatuans. “Ang kapal ng mukha mo” President Gloria alyas pandak. Dapat sayo magresign
because you were responsible for tolerating warlords like Ampatuan.
The media will not raise its hands in anger but will be more courageous and unforgiving in our fight against political terrorism and abuses and exposing the sins of warlords like the Ampatuans.
Mrs. Gloria Arroyo, the honourable thing to do is to resign because your hands are tainted with the blood of the 57 martyrs of democracy including our very own journalists.
Do not let such barbaric act be the hallmark of your presidency because the ghost of Maguindanao will haunt you for the rest of your life.
We demand justice and we will not rest until the truth shall come out and until the perpetrators of this cruel crime is brought to their deserved punishment.
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