MALOLOS CITY – Bulacan-based journalists along with members of other sectors in the province vowed to join the red arm band protest here today in solidarity to the call for justice for the massacre of at least 30 journalists in Maguindanao 15 days ago.
The Red Arm Band protest will be held at the Heroes’ Park of the Bulacan State University (BulSU) where a similar protest was held last November 25. It condemned the Maguindanao massacre which was described as the biggest single atrocity against journalists on record.
Organizers of the protest said that the Red Arm Band symbolizes the solidarity of Bulakenyos against violence, and the willingness make a stand against culture of impunity that continue to flourish under the Arroyo administration.
“Days of mourning and condemnation on the abominable massacre of unarmed civilians are over,” they said and stressed, “we will wear red arm band to tell the government that we will not be silent until justice is served.”
Along with Bulacan-based journalists, campus journalists in different schools in the province, members of visual art group, farmers, church leaders and other non-governmental organization vowed to join the protest wearing black shirts and red arm band on their left arm.
Organizers said that there will be an ecumenical mass before the protest followed by lighting of candles, signing of petitions and a manifesto.
The Bulacan red arm band protest is in coordination with the new call issued yesterday by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to journalists across the world to join the Global Day of Solidarity today (Wednesday) to demand justice for victims of the Maguindanao massacre.
In a statement, the IFJ said, “Filipino journalists need to hear our voices expressing solidarity with the victims and anger at the Philippine government that allowed this to happen”, said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary.
“106 journalists have now met a violent death since President Arroyo was elected in 2001. Her government has created the circumstances for this massacre by allowing a culture of impunity to flourish.”
The IFJ is currently leading an international mission to bring support to the victims and investigate the circumstances of the mission, hosted by its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). The mission has just returned from meeting the families of the victims based in the city of General Santos and is now focusing on talks with the authorities.
“It is six months before the May 10 elections and the mission hopes that this horrific start to the electoral process is countered by a determination from the President and her administration to ensure that justice and journalism will be allowed to flourish without impediment,” the statement said quoting Mike Dobbie of the IFJ Mission.
He further said, “until those things are done, then the perpetrators of this mass murder will be considered to have achieved some of their aims. That is, to intimidate by multiple acts of violence the people of their community.”
The IFJ mission also includes representatives from the Indonesia’s Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Australia’s Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the Thai Journalists’ Association (TJA) Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA), the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ), International News Safety Institute (INSI), International Media Support (IMS), the Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) and Union Network International (UNI).
As a worldwide organization, IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries.
The Red Arm Band protest will be held at the Heroes’ Park of the Bulacan State University (BulSU) where a similar protest was held last November 25. It condemned the Maguindanao massacre which was described as the biggest single atrocity against journalists on record.
Organizers of the protest said that the Red Arm Band symbolizes the solidarity of Bulakenyos against violence, and the willingness make a stand against culture of impunity that continue to flourish under the Arroyo administration.
“Days of mourning and condemnation on the abominable massacre of unarmed civilians are over,” they said and stressed, “we will wear red arm band to tell the government that we will not be silent until justice is served.”
Along with Bulacan-based journalists, campus journalists in different schools in the province, members of visual art group, farmers, church leaders and other non-governmental organization vowed to join the protest wearing black shirts and red arm band on their left arm.
Organizers said that there will be an ecumenical mass before the protest followed by lighting of candles, signing of petitions and a manifesto.
The Bulacan red arm band protest is in coordination with the new call issued yesterday by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to journalists across the world to join the Global Day of Solidarity today (Wednesday) to demand justice for victims of the Maguindanao massacre.
In a statement, the IFJ said, “Filipino journalists need to hear our voices expressing solidarity with the victims and anger at the Philippine government that allowed this to happen”, said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary.
“106 journalists have now met a violent death since President Arroyo was elected in 2001. Her government has created the circumstances for this massacre by allowing a culture of impunity to flourish.”
The IFJ is currently leading an international mission to bring support to the victims and investigate the circumstances of the mission, hosted by its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). The mission has just returned from meeting the families of the victims based in the city of General Santos and is now focusing on talks with the authorities.
“It is six months before the May 10 elections and the mission hopes that this horrific start to the electoral process is countered by a determination from the President and her administration to ensure that justice and journalism will be allowed to flourish without impediment,” the statement said quoting Mike Dobbie of the IFJ Mission.
He further said, “until those things are done, then the perpetrators of this mass murder will be considered to have achieved some of their aims. That is, to intimidate by multiple acts of violence the people of their community.”
The IFJ mission also includes representatives from the Indonesia’s Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Australia’s Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the Thai Journalists’ Association (TJA) Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA), the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ), International News Safety Institute (INSI), International Media Support (IMS), the Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) and Union Network International (UNI).
As a worldwide organization, IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries.
