ILIGAN CITY – Officers and members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) Iligan – Lanao del Norte chapter light candles and offered prayers and flowers on Sunday to commemorate the 16th year since the massacre of colleagues in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao.
The simple commemoration rite was held at the Saint Michael Cathedral grounds starting at 4 p.m.
The Maguindanao massacre on November 23, 2009 claimed the lives of 58 people, 32 of whom were journalists.
The massacre, the single most deadly attack on the press, sent a chilling effect to journalists and its search for justice became a rallying cry in the fight against a culture of impunity on media killings in the country.
In Cagayan de Oro City, members of the NUJP and the local press club had set commemoration rites on Monday.
“We must insist — loudly, persistently — that freedom of expression is not a luxury but a foundation. We must insist that press freedom is not negotiable but necessary,” read a statement from the Cagayan de Oro Press Club on Sunday. /jpv