THE ones responsible for the Maguindanao massacre should be arrested and castigated to the highest terms. Theirs deeds are too barbaric to contemplate, with no human sense and very hideous in the eyes of a civilized nation.
Imagine the new statistics of journalists killed in the Nov. 23 massacre is now at 37 with one more missing and unaccounted. All over the world, the Philippines stand embarrassed with this unfolding within our very eyes—the scattered bodies of innocent civilians, lawyers and journalists—some of whom were tortured, raped before being killed and a handful were buried alive.
We admit that many members of the fourth estate are affected by the deaths of our colleagues. We are not acting pretentious this time nor make exaggeration of this issue. Such deaths deserve our anger and indignation. It deserves our united call for justice.
Since we, as pillars of information, only work for the good of the public, we strive to give professional service for the community's collective interest in knowing what is happening around the world, in our country and our respective neighborhoods. No more, no less, not even politics.
Like our counterparts in other parts of the planet, we express their collective outcry to demand justice for the 31 journalists and media workers killed in Maguindanao. To this administration, let us once and for all stop this culture of impunity in our country, which is contributing to the string of deaths of media practitioners.
We send this statement of protest to President Gloria Arroyo for her to see the persistent episodes of this social malady. It doesn't need to have more than 100 journalists killed in their work desks or beats to rally support for our poor circumstances.
If the Philippines is one democratic country, why are there so many journalists being threatened and killed? We have been expressing this question and outrage for a long time already to no effect despite the fact that we who are left behind find it unpleasant that we too had to slowly dig our own graves. God forbid. God help us.
Imagine the new statistics of journalists killed in the Nov. 23 massacre is now at 37 with one more missing and unaccounted. All over the world, the Philippines stand embarrassed with this unfolding within our very eyes—the scattered bodies of innocent civilians, lawyers and journalists—some of whom were tortured, raped before being killed and a handful were buried alive.
We admit that many members of the fourth estate are affected by the deaths of our colleagues. We are not acting pretentious this time nor make exaggeration of this issue. Such deaths deserve our anger and indignation. It deserves our united call for justice.
Since we, as pillars of information, only work for the good of the public, we strive to give professional service for the community's collective interest in knowing what is happening around the world, in our country and our respective neighborhoods. No more, no less, not even politics.
Like our counterparts in other parts of the planet, we express their collective outcry to demand justice for the 31 journalists and media workers killed in Maguindanao. To this administration, let us once and for all stop this culture of impunity in our country, which is contributing to the string of deaths of media practitioners.
We send this statement of protest to President Gloria Arroyo for her to see the persistent episodes of this social malady. It doesn't need to have more than 100 journalists killed in their work desks or beats to rally support for our poor circumstances.
If the Philippines is one democratic country, why are there so many journalists being threatened and killed? We have been expressing this question and outrage for a long time already to no effect despite the fact that we who are left behind find it unpleasant that we too had to slowly dig our own graves. God forbid. God help us.