OZAMIZ CITY—The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) plans to set up a support fund that will pay for efforts to seek justice to victims of the November 23 massacre in Ampatuan, Maguindanao that killed at least 57 people including 30 journalists and media workers.
This developed as newsmen look back into the “pains and gains” in 2009, the year which saw “Filipino journalists closed ranks and defiantly stood up for the freedom of the press and democracy.”
According to Inquirer reporter Nestor Burgos, NUJP chair, the fund will primarily support legal actions to advance the cause of justice for the journalist-victims, help address the needs of their families, and advocate the improvement of the environment of media practice especially in Mindanao.
The NUJP has noted that the Ampatuan massacre “has left the Philippine media community staggering, not just from the toll but also the task of helping rebuild the lives of those left behind, as well as of our colleagues who lost friends and co-workers, and have had to cover and live through the story as well.”
“Another vital task is working to hold accountable all those who should be held accountable, not just the persons who carried out the carnage, but those responsible for creating the circumstances that made it possible,” the group further said.
The NUJP admits that “to achieve all these will require substantial resources, thus, the need to reach out to colleagues, friends and the public for help.”
Burgos said that through the Justice Fund, individuals and groups who wish to help can send their donations.
The activities that the Fund will support will be posted on the NUJP website and will be regularly audited by an external auditor, the results of which will also be published and reported to the donors, he added.
But Burgos stressed that “the Justice Fund is more than just raising money. It seeks to build solidarity between the target beneficiaries of the program and the media, between media and the public.”
As conceived, the Fund will financially support the undertaking of a trauma and counseling program for the families of killed journalists and members of their local media community.
In litigation, the Fund seeks to support the legal actions against the suspects by assisting the private and public prosecutors, and providing sanctuary for witnesses and even litigants who may come under threat from the accused.
The Fund will also support a series of training on risk awareness and safety, especially in covering and reporting events from culturally and politically sensitive places.
Apart from the November 23 massacre, NUJP also seeks to document other incidents of harassment and attacks on the press in Mindanao, and launch a campaign “to build solidarity between media and the public, and to deepen public understanding of factors that led to the massacre.”
“The Justice Fund seeks to build awareness not just on what happened in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on November 23, 2009 but on the system that breeds corruption, warlordism and political patronage which paved the way to the carnage,” Burgos explained.
Among others, a monthly commemoration of the massacre will be done to continually highlight the issues related to the incident which is the worst case of political violence in the country’s history.
The Ampatuan massacre is the worst ever attack on the media throughout the world, placing the country in the top most dangerous places to practice journalism.
Yet, the NUJP points out that “attacks on the press are not likely to end despite the outrage stirred by the Ampatuan massacre and many Filipino journalists continue to embark on dangerous coverage with practically no tools to help them cope with the challenges as well as stress in doing the job.”
On Dec. 8, Camarines Norte broadcaster Efren Español was attacked inside the announcer’s booth by the former police chief of the province, who was armed with a .45-caliber pistol.
Unidentified persons also fired a gun in front of the house of journalist Edgar Cadagat, former NUJP chair and current president of the Negros Press Club. On Dec. 20, Misamis Occidental journalist Danilo Pilar survived a grenade attack on his house.
On Dec. 24, radio commentator Ismael Pasigma of Labason, Zamboanga del Norte was gunned down 6:30am while on his way to work.
The NUJP has considered 2009 as “a year of unprecedented tribulation” for the Philippine press because of the massacre.
“The carnage in Ampatuan capped years of continued impunity for killers of Filipino journalists,” an NUJP year-ender reads.
Before the massacre, 104 Filipino journalists had been slain since 1986, 67 of them under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, based on the NUJP’s count.
Of these, only around five cases have resulted in the conviction of the killers but no masterminds in any of the murders have been arrested so far.
REPORT BY RYAN ROSAURO, PECOJON
This developed as newsmen look back into the “pains and gains” in 2009, the year which saw “Filipino journalists closed ranks and defiantly stood up for the freedom of the press and democracy.”
According to Inquirer reporter Nestor Burgos, NUJP chair, the fund will primarily support legal actions to advance the cause of justice for the journalist-victims, help address the needs of their families, and advocate the improvement of the environment of media practice especially in Mindanao.
The NUJP has noted that the Ampatuan massacre “has left the Philippine media community staggering, not just from the toll but also the task of helping rebuild the lives of those left behind, as well as of our colleagues who lost friends and co-workers, and have had to cover and live through the story as well.”
“Another vital task is working to hold accountable all those who should be held accountable, not just the persons who carried out the carnage, but those responsible for creating the circumstances that made it possible,” the group further said.
The NUJP admits that “to achieve all these will require substantial resources, thus, the need to reach out to colleagues, friends and the public for help.”
Burgos said that through the Justice Fund, individuals and groups who wish to help can send their donations.
The activities that the Fund will support will be posted on the NUJP website and will be regularly audited by an external auditor, the results of which will also be published and reported to the donors, he added.
But Burgos stressed that “the Justice Fund is more than just raising money. It seeks to build solidarity between the target beneficiaries of the program and the media, between media and the public.”
As conceived, the Fund will financially support the undertaking of a trauma and counseling program for the families of killed journalists and members of their local media community.
In litigation, the Fund seeks to support the legal actions against the suspects by assisting the private and public prosecutors, and providing sanctuary for witnesses and even litigants who may come under threat from the accused.
The Fund will also support a series of training on risk awareness and safety, especially in covering and reporting events from culturally and politically sensitive places.
Apart from the November 23 massacre, NUJP also seeks to document other incidents of harassment and attacks on the press in Mindanao, and launch a campaign “to build solidarity between media and the public, and to deepen public understanding of factors that led to the massacre.”
“The Justice Fund seeks to build awareness not just on what happened in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on November 23, 2009 but on the system that breeds corruption, warlordism and political patronage which paved the way to the carnage,” Burgos explained.
Among others, a monthly commemoration of the massacre will be done to continually highlight the issues related to the incident which is the worst case of political violence in the country’s history.
The Ampatuan massacre is the worst ever attack on the media throughout the world, placing the country in the top most dangerous places to practice journalism.
Yet, the NUJP points out that “attacks on the press are not likely to end despite the outrage stirred by the Ampatuan massacre and many Filipino journalists continue to embark on dangerous coverage with practically no tools to help them cope with the challenges as well as stress in doing the job.”
On Dec. 8, Camarines Norte broadcaster Efren Español was attacked inside the announcer’s booth by the former police chief of the province, who was armed with a .45-caliber pistol.
Unidentified persons also fired a gun in front of the house of journalist Edgar Cadagat, former NUJP chair and current president of the Negros Press Club. On Dec. 20, Misamis Occidental journalist Danilo Pilar survived a grenade attack on his house.
On Dec. 24, radio commentator Ismael Pasigma of Labason, Zamboanga del Norte was gunned down 6:30am while on his way to work.
The NUJP has considered 2009 as “a year of unprecedented tribulation” for the Philippine press because of the massacre.
“The carnage in Ampatuan capped years of continued impunity for killers of Filipino journalists,” an NUJP year-ender reads.
Before the massacre, 104 Filipino journalists had been slain since 1986, 67 of them under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, based on the NUJP’s count.
Of these, only around five cases have resulted in the conviction of the killers but no masterminds in any of the murders have been arrested so far.
REPORT BY RYAN ROSAURO, PECOJON
