Ilonggo journalists join national call to end impunity

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Ilonggo journalists joined media workers across the country on the evening of Nov. 6 in twin commemorations that condemned the ongoing culture of impunity affecting the press.

The Iloilo Media-Citizens Council participated in a hybrid event hosted by the Philippine Press Institute to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (Nov. 2) and the 16th anniversary of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre (Nov. 23).

The Maguindanao massacre, described by the Committee to Protect Journalists as the “single deadliest event” for journalists at the time, saw up to 34 media workers abducted and killed, according to Inquirer Mindanao’s Aquiles Zonio.

In a statement read by Aksyon Radyo Iloilo reporter Maria Kayla Tingzon, the council said the 16-year delay in achieving full justice for the massacre victims “sends a chilling message to those who would speak truth to power.”

“While we acknowledge the landmark 2019 conviction of the primary architects of this inhumanity, we must state this painful truth: Justice is far from complete,” the statement read.

“Dozens of the accused were acquitted, many suspects remain at large, the appeals process grinds forward at a pace that mocks the grief of the victims’ families. This agonizing wheel of justice is in itself a form of impunity,” it added.

The council stressed that impunity against journalists threatens not only the media but also the public’s right to be informed.

“We understand that [impunity] is not just a media issue. It is a citizens’ issue,” they said.

“An attack on a journalist is a direct assault on the public’s right to know. Impunity for these crimes creates a chilling effect that silences the press, silences dissent, and allows corruption and abuse of power to fester in the dark.”

“When journalists are murdered with no consequence, other journalists are intimidated into silence. When the press is silenced, the public is blinded. Democracy dies,” they added.

In its statement, the council called on the national government and judiciary to “swiftly and finally” resolve all cases related to the Maguindanao massacre and arrest the suspects still at large.

They also urged the dismantling of systems that perpetuate violence, including warlordism, political dynasties, and corruption.

The group appealed to lawmakers to pass legislation that protects — rather than punishes — the press, starting with the decriminalization of libel.

They also called on the public to stand “with the storytellers.”

In a separate statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Iloilo chapter highlighted online attacks, red-tagging, disinformation, and economic challenges facing local journalists.

“Here in Iloilo and across the country, reporters and media workers continue to face online attacks, red-tagging, and the spread of disinformation that distorts public discourse,” the NUJP-Iloilo said.

“Many are forced to work without job security or institutional protection, making them more vulnerable to coercion and silence,” they added.

“The persistence of these challenges underscores that ending impunity is not just a matter of solving past crimes but of protecting the living who carry the torch of truth today.”