Protest vigil held for S. Philippines massacre victims

The death toll in the Monday's massacre in the southern Philippines has risen to 46. Journalists in Manila have held a protest vigil to condemn the killings and demand justice.

Tuesday night's rally involved some one hundred members of the media.

They expressed sympathy for the victims and pressured authorities for swift actions.

Benny Antiporda, President of P' Pines Nat'l Press Club, said, "Even if the authorities cannot fulfill their responsibilities, we in the media will force the government to act and to do their duty towards the whole nation and not just towards the ones they are indebted to."

The regional army says more than a dozen journalists were among the dead in Monday's massacre in the province of Maguindanao.

They were part of a group abducted by gunmen while on their way to file election papers for a provincial governor candidate.

A media rights watchdog says it appears to be the world's worst mass killing of journalists.

Aidan White, General Secretary of Int'l Federation of Journalists, said, "This is the worst single massacre, targeted killings of journalists that we've seen in recent history anywhere in the world. The total number of journalists and media people killed is still unclear. It may be up to 20 in this single incident. It's a really shocking event."

Journalists' associations, including members of the Southeast Asia Press Alliance, say they will send a fact-finding mission and conduct an independent investigation into the massacre.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

According to the latest reports, gunmen in the Philippines have killed 46 political supporters and journalists on their way to file election papers in Maguin-da-nao Province. Full story >>