Comments on: The Maguindanao Massacre

By: michelle

michelle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:41:50 +0000

Sometimes, when I watching horror movie in our house I saw some kinds of monster that killing innocent people just to give their satisfaction or their needs. When I heard the news about on what happened in Maguindanao I said to myself, “what kind of human are they? Isn’t a monster too like in the horror movie?”. Actually, It is like a bomb that explode widely in the whole state. Speaking of state, I heard in the news that the foreign investors in the Philippines will not continue investing in our country because they want to secure first the stability of our economy. The big impact there is the dignity of Filipino citizenship especially working outside the country because the manners that we showed in the whole world. It is a very traumatic for the family of victims. It will affect mostly in our fellowship Muslim because some people will think that all Muslim can do that anyway everybody actually can do that.

By: michelle

michelle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:39:37 +0000

Cant you see guys…. It is very disappointing to all of us because we have knowledege, freedom, and voluntariness we know what is right or wrong. why some people can do I affirmatively believe that thier is a justice for us and for them.

By: Tlönista

Tlönista — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:44:29 +0000

This is horrifying. Thank you for boosting the signal; this has received relatively little coverage.

By: tanglad

tanglad — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:31:11 +0000

Thank you for writing about this, Chally. The rampant warlordism in the southern Philippines could not be divorced from the militarization in the region, and it's a militarization that continues to be supported by the United States under the guise of fighting the war against terror. Filipino activists from groups such as CONTEND and the Gabriela Women’s Party have been working for an end to militarization in the Philippines. For those who are in the U.S., thinking about what you can do and how to help. I suggest that campaigning against the US policy of militarization and strengthening the anti-war movement would be good starting points.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:42:30 +0000

OMG, I did not even know that this happened… That’s not saying a lot because I don’t watch the news… but still, you think once word got around that I would hear about it but I didn’t. I have an article class tomorrow and may use this. People need to know.

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:12:45 +0000

No words. This is horrific.

By: Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist

Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:55:03 +0000

this is heart-breaking news. I’ve been reading about this since I first heard about it a week ago.

may all their souls rest in peace.

By: Chally

Chally — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:01:33 +0000

No problem, Lindsay. :) Re: help, my understanding is that the Filipino government is working to lessen the power of the Ampatuan group, and that there's some reformation of the rules around private armies going on. I don't know what you can do about this particular matter, though if anyone does, please leave a comment! But there are of course broader issues around women in the country, so I can offer a list of women's organisations in the Philippines and the website of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women.

By: newswithnipples

newswithnipples — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:33:39 +0000

I had an interesting discussion about this story in my newsroom (I’m an online journo). The story came through from AFP, just a few lines with the quote Chally used, and I said I wasn’t going to put it in our breaking news feed because it was just graphic violence against women with no context, and therefore gratuitous. Luckily the news editor felt the same way and we held off until there was more information. It was a tough call though, as I was so horrified and disgusted by what those men did. The story hasn’t received a huge amount of coverage in Australia, which is odd, because journos love stories about journos, and online news editors love stories about women being hurt/killed.

By: SueB

SueB — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:28:37 +0000

This is a predominantly Catholic country (some 80% of the population) with one of the largest garbage dumps on the planet existing (in Payatas). When I was in Manila in the early 1980s, I was startled by the amount of poverty and desperation, and to know that it hasn’t changed much since then — and has gotten worse, in fact — rattles me to the core. Where is the Pope in all of this, and where is the international outcry?