The battle for press freedom in the Philippines
Almost fifteen years ago, the Maguindanao Massacres was the deadliest incident against reporters - a haunting reminder of the oppression of free press in the Philippines.
On November 23 2009, a convoy consisting of five vehicles carried mostly female journalists and lawyers to Sharriff Aguak, a provincial office of Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to cover Esmael Mangudadatu’s official filing of his certificate of candidacy (COC) for governor of Maguindanao – a town in the southern region of Mindanao. Mangudadatu, who also goes by the nickname “Toto”, is Buluan’s Vice Mayor contesting against another candidate Andal “Datu Unsay” Ampatuan Jr. – a member of the Ampatuan clan whose patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Sr., has been the uncontested governor of the region since 2001. After receiving death threats for challenging the reigning family, Mangudadatu decided to send an all women party – including his pregnant wife, sisters, and his aunt – 32 of which were journalists to Shariff Aguak. He believed that, under the Islamic rule that women must not be harmed (Mindanao is considered a Muslim outpost) and under the presence of the media, the event would be safe and secured. But a reported one hundred armed men blocked the convoy before it ever reached its destination, and what soon followed is a violent assail that reverberated across the nation, and the globe.
The gunmen stopped the convoy on a highway that goes through a banana grove, abducted the passengers, and murdered them execution style and “in a competitive fashion” – point-blank shots with high-powered firearms to the mouth and the genitalia – on the hills of Sitio Masalay and buried the corpses, alongside the vehicles, in a mass grave. A total of 57 people lost their lives, most of whom were women and 2 were pregnant at the time. The murders, dubbed as “The Maguindanao Massacres”, was considered the worst case of election-related violence and is amongst the many cases signifying the threats against freedom of the press and political corruption in the Philippines.
The Philippines is still considered amongst the most westernized and democratic countries [in Asia] – but with the corruption and impunity the nation has witnessed, will it last?
The Philippines is the only country, if not few, in Asia running under a western-influenced democracy. After breaking out of the Spanish colony, the Philippines became an “unincorporated territory” of the U.S. (read about the history in a previous article) and Filipino culture and society were influenced by America – even the Philippines’ political system itself is modeled after the U.S. However, over the century, clusters of families gained power over governing bodies and formed “political dynasties” and clans (e.g. the Aquinos, the Macapagals, and now the Marcos’s), and this includes the Ampatuans. This type of familial nepotism has followed with decades of corruption; including alleged election tampering during the presidential race in 2022, when incumbent President Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. won the votes by a milestone. Out of all the Asian countries, the Philippines is still considered amongst the most westernized and democratic countries – but with the corruption and impunity the nation has witnessed, will it last?
Journalism is a cutthroat industry yet plays an important role in maintaining the conditions of a democracy – it is the First Amendment in the U.S., which is the right to a free press. But over the years, since the deadly Maguindanao Massacres, freedom of the press has been dire. On World Press Freedom Day (May 3), PhilStar reported that the Philippines fell down two places in the World Press Freedom Index, placing the country in the 134th place out of 180 countries – making the Philippines amongst the most dangerous countries for journalism and other media professions. To this day, there are continued threats and red-tagging (labelling individuals and organizations as enemies of the state) against journalists, activists, lawyers, human rights groups, and advocacy nonprofits.
The Maguindanao Massacres happened only fifteen years ago, but it wasn’t until December 2019 (over 10 years later) that the verdict was delivered and convicted 28 suspects, including Ampatuan Jr. and his brother Zaldy, of 57 counts of murder – despite accusations against two-hundred people for their involvement. This verdict, reported to be “the trial of the decade”, goes to show the ongoing culture of impunity and the tedious processes of the Philippine justice system – which is likely due to a culmination of power and influence from violence and corruption.
A brief history of the Ampatuans and their rise to prominence
According to the BBC, the Ampatuans is a family in the Maguindanao region whose roots can be traced to Shariff Aguak – the first Muslim preacher who was known to have first brought Islam to Mindanao, and whom the capital of the province is named after. The Ampatuans were known to be “influential traders”, but did not reach their height of power until the 1970s. Around the time when then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared martial law, he assigned the Ampatuans to govern the Mindanao region as the Islamic separatist movement was growing – amongst the clan was Andal Ampatuan Sr. He gradually moved up positions, from the Mayor of Maganoy (the former name of now-Shariff Aguak) to the governor of Maguindanao (now Maguindanao del Sur).
During then-President Gloria Arroyo’s administration, the executive order that allowed families, like the Ampatuans, to have “private armies” was issued; this was used by the clan to take local control through militia. They reportedly owned rocket launchers, rifles, and military-grade weapons that was used to have power over the police, the judiciary, and the local COMELEC. In return, the Ampatuans supported Arroyo’s campaigns, although there were claims they tampered with the election that helped her win in 2004.
Although most of the members have been convicted and held accountable for the Maguindano Massacres of 2009, they still retain significant power and influence.
In more news…
Magna Carter of Children Bill, also known as Senate Bill 2612, made progress in the Philippines’s senate. The bill proposes measures that will protect children’s rights to life and survival, the right to development, the right participate, and more. Read here.
A Filipino lawyer is proposing that AI-generated deepfakes be classified as a form of terrorism after it was used to create deepfake content of President Marcos Jr. making foreign threats, according to the Philippines’ News Agency.