Maguindanao Massacre

The Maguindanao massacre occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the Maguindanao province on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. The victims were trying to obtain a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan town. Mangudadatu was challenging Andal Ampatuan, Jr. (son of the former Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan) in the Maguindanao governatorial election, part of the national elections in 2010. Those killed included Mangudadatu's wife, two sisters, lawyers, aides, and journalists.

As of November 24, 46 deaths in Maguindanao massacre were confirmed by Lt. Col. Rolando Nerona of the Philippine Army. Reporters Without Borders announced that at least 12 of the victims were journalists, including several members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, making this the deadliest such incident in the history of news media.

Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo responded to the news of the massacre by declaring a state of emergency in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City. Speaker of the House Prospero Nograles called on the police to quickly identify the perpetrators of the massacre and disarm private militias. The Filipino Department of Justice created a panel of special prosecutors to handle cases arising from the massacre.

In the aftermath, Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson said the Maguindanao massacre might affect, or even lead to the cancellation of, the scheduled 2010 presidential elections. Candidates in the election condemned the massacre,as did the European Union. The United Nations also has led several other countries in condemning this mass slaughter.

Article source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maguindanao_massacre