The Horror of the Maguindanao Massacre

It has been four years since the horrific Maguindanao Massacre or also known as the Ampatuan Massacre, but the painful memory that it left to the devastated family and friends felt like only yesterday. Last November 23, the Maguindano massacre victims remembered one again the said tragic event. It is even dubbed as the “deadliest day for the press” for 32 to 58 people in media was killed. It was estimated that there were at least 59 lives were brutally taken. Sadly, until now, finding justice had been painstakingly slow and very murky. The alleged suspect and mastermind, Andal Ampatuan Jr., are still not convicted. Even his people who helped him do the blocking, threatening, killing, and burying the victims is still being sought. The former mayor of the Datu Unsay, Maguindanao is still an “accused.” He is still undergoing a very slow trial. It cannot be denied that justice here in the Philippines is very hard to grasp and hold.

Basically, massacre is defined by the Oxford Dictionaries as the deliberate and brutal killing of many people. In the normative perspective, massacre is a violation of the law which condemns murder. In the reactivist perspective, most people would really react negatively about the death of hundreds or thousands of people which is, for example, the reaction of many Filipinos against the Maguindanao Massacre. In the moralist perspective, killing, undoubtedly, is considered as a sin. The Ten Commandments of the Christianity is very strong on the rule “thou shall not kill” and other forms of religion. Thus, massacre is considered by majority as a brutal, inhumane, and demonic whatever the reasons even if it is claimed to be functional or necessary or personal.

Massacre is a form of social violence. In the Philippines, election is always dirty and bloody. There is no single election campaign period in which no candidate was threatened or murdered. On the other hand, Maguindanao is a very poor place in Mindanao. If a person would try to visit the place, he/she would see that many people are below the poverty line. But, what would make them wonder and question is that even though the poverty in the Maguindanao is very visible, why is it that the house of the mayor is very grand and very big? Once again this will lead to the concept of corruption. Corruption is an ever undying problem in the Philippines. Many politicians included in their platforms that they will erase or remove the corruption in the Philippines.