The unchecked rule of political warlords like the Ampatuans, army and police units like those controlled by President Arroyo’s mistahs, and warmongers in government like General Hermogenes Esperon and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, make up a culture of tolerance for killings and contempt for the rule of law. Thus, this culture of impunity traces itself right back at the doorstep of Malacañang.
Day: November 24, 2009
12 Journalists, Several Others Killed in Maguindanao Massacre
By CHERYLL D. FIEL
“The Ampatuan massacre goes beyond the issue of freedom of the press and of expression and strikes at the very foundations of democracy. This incident not only erases all doubts about the Philippines being the most dangerous country for journalists in the world, outside of Iraq, it could very well place the country on the map as a candidate for a failed democracy.”