The online petition An Open Letter to Mdm Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines is now being circulated by Filipino Netizens on social networks and the Philippine blogosphere. This calls on the President to take firm steps to ensure that the guilty parties in the Maguindanao massacre will be punished and that private armies all over the country will be disbanded.
Here’s an excerpt from my CNET Asia blog post on this barbaric incident. May the victims rest in peace, and may the killers be brought to justice.
We are still in shock over yesterday’s massacre of civilians in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao in the run-up to the Philippine presidential elections in May 2010. The victims, who were beheaded, include at least 13 women, with the number of bodies recovered as of this writing already totaling 30.
Reporters Sans Frontieres has called the massacre a “dark day for press freedom” as at least 12 journalists were among the victims. On the social networking site Twitter, updates may be found using the hashtag #maguindanao.
As the Philippines gears up for the 2010 presidential elections, questions abound about poll automation.
Today, Sept. 21, ANC will air a 2010 poll automation forum at 8 p.m. Viewers will not only be able to watch the live stream of the forum, but also participate in the discussion via the live blog at www.abs-cbnnews.com/ancliveevents
It may have taken several years and elections, but citizen journalism is expected to play a key role in covering the Philippine presidential polls in 2010.
One sign of recognition for Filipino bloggers and citizen journalists is that the Philippine Commission on Elections is officially welcoming blog coverage of the polls.
