Philippines marks 7th anniversary of Maguindanao massacre

The Philippines on Wednesday marked the seventh anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre, the worst incident of electoral violence in the country's recent history.

Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said that "justice remains elusive" to the victims and their loved ones, seven years after the massacre that took place on Nov. 23, 2009.

"The nation thus feels a sense of outrage by the turtle-paced grind of the judicial process," Andanar said.

Altogether 58 people, 32 of whom journalists, were murdered by the Ampatuan family on a hilltop in Salman village, Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province seven years ago. While some of the suspects have been detained, the court has yet to come up with a verdict.

Andanar said protecting journalists and ending the impunity of killings "require serious action and cooperation of all."

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said that Nov. 23, 2009 was a day that would forever live in infamy, not only for the Philippine media community but also for the body politic.

The International Federation of Journalists early this year tagged the Philippines as the second most dangerous country for journalists with 143 deaths since 1990, after to Iraq. Endit