The Philippine Online Chronicles

It is one of the darkest days, probably THE darkest day in Philippine Media history as at least 30 persons, mostly comprised of journalists, are not only confirmed dead but some were also found beheaded and mutilated, and the women raped.

Still 6 months away, the country has now its first reported political violence linked to the May 2010 election. This is a fact, however, that is overshadowed by how massive the scale of this dreadful and senseless massacre is. Rowena Paraan from The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said “not even in Iraq has there ever been this many dead journalists in one incident. And this one was deliberate.”

Mindanao people who advocate for peace in the land, had and has long been trying, with whatever means necessary, to even at least enlighten the whole country and the world on how wonderful the island is, in all aspects, and how virtually every Mindanaoan campaign for peace in the region; that it’s not just about political clan wars, killings and bombings but also about growth, progress, development and how culture-proud its people are. These same people also yearn so badly that these bad elements finally stop on their tracks, with some even going out of their way to document and report about them, only to end up paying with their lives, not to be even heard at times.

This incident is a clear demonstration that the convoy involved wanted this election to work, in the most non-violent but most assertive way they could possible. They knew the repercussions they might encounter along the way. In hindsight they knew something unpleasant was going to happen, that’s why they gathered women and more peaceful backers to help them pass Mangudadatu’s Certificate of Candidacy (COCs) to Maguindanao’s COMELEC with thoughts that they will be untouched and unharmed by whosoever wishes to thwart their efforts, given the factors considered.

Unfortunately, their efforts were indeed thwarted in the most brutal and barbaric ways one could not even dare imagine.

It is sad and frustrating that with years of effort, a mindless carnage like this, executed in even less than a day, will, make this part of the country not only, once more, be in foreign advisories, but most definitely be under the world’s extreme scrutiny and unwarranted prejudgment.

Voices that have been drowned out for so long have finally surfaced, yes. But it took a tragedy of this proportion for the people who risked their lives for peace and justice to finally be heard.

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