RP world's 'most dangerous' for media: monitor

MANILA - The Philippines has become the most dangerous place in the world for journalists, according to an international press watchdog, after an election-linked massacre of at least 57 people this week.

The Belgium-based International Federation of Journalists said that by its count at least 12 journalists and "around eight media staff" were among the victims of the mass killing, blamed on a local politician and his bodyguards.

"Under the current government the Philippines has become the most dangerous place in the world for media workers," the group said in a statement, urging President Gloria Arroyo's government to give the press more protection.

"At least 74 journalists have been killed during its eight-year tenure, yet the government has not acted to end the culture of impunity. At last count, only four convictions had been secured," it said.

The group said it would send an investigative mission to the southern Philippines region of Mindanao, where the killings happened on Monday.

"The Arroyo administration must make a clear and unequivocal commitment to an immediate, independent and effective inquiry into this atrocity," said the group's general secretary Aidan White.

"With elections due in six months' time the authorities must act now to guarantee the safety of journalists throughout the country."

Arroyo on Wednesday vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of the massacre.

Police have identified the top suspect as Andal Ampatuan Jnr, a member of Arroyo's ruling coalition and the son of a powerful regional politician who has helped secure votes for the president in previous elections.

The victims were abducted as they were travelling in a six-vehicle convoy to nominate a rival of the Ampatuan clan as the opposition candidate for provincial governor in elections next year.

ABS-CBN to govt: 'Hold guilty parties accountable'

MANILA – ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. on Wednesday issued a statement urging authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao.

“We at ABS-CBN urge the authorities to hold the guilty parties accountable and show that justice is blind to politics,” ABS-CBN said in a statement.

The network said the government has yet to make a decisive action on the gruesome incident that occurred last Monday.

At least 100 armed men abducted and brutally murdered more than 50 people, including journalists. There were reports the death toll could reach more than 60.

“This unprecedented scale of violence erodes our faith in the rule of law. It sends a chill through journalists who continue to shine the spotlight on these killing fields,” the statement added.

As of Wednesday, six bodies have been unearthed from the "killing fields" in Ampatuan, Maguindanao province, bringing the death toll of the bloodiest election-related incident to 52.

Police has also named as possible prime suspect in the killing a political ally of President Arroyo.

"According to the initial reports, those who were abducted and murdered at Saniag were initially stopped by a group led by the mayor of Datu Unsay," national police spokesman Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said.

The mayor of Datu Unsay is Andal Ampatuan Jr., a member of Arroyo's ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition and son of an extremely powerful regional politician who has ensured local support for the president in previous elections.

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