Attack on election convoy kills 21 Filipinos

[Ban Hammer 13,445]

MANILA, Philippines – Dozens of gunmen hijacked a convoy carrying journalists, and family and supporters of a candidate for provincial governor, killing at least 21 of the travelers Monday in the southern Philippines' worst political violence in years.

There was no claim of responsibility for the bloodshed in the predominantly Muslim region wracked by political tensions between rival clans.

The convoy of vans carrying about 40 people was hijacked in Maguindanao province, about 560 miles (900 kilometers) south of Manila, and army troops later found the bullet-riddled bodies of 13 women and eight men, regional military commander Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton said.

It was unclear if anyone survived the attack. An army and police search was under way for the other hostages.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said at least 10 local reporters were part of the convoy. Their organizations failed to reach them, leading them to conclude they too were killed.

"Never in the history of journalism have the news media suffered such a heavy loss of life in one day," Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.

"The frenzied violence of thugs working for corrupt politicians has resulted in an incomprehensible bloodshed," it said.

The politician, Ismael Mangudadatu, was not in the convoy and said his wife called him by mobile phone shortly before she and her entourage were abducted.

"She said ... they were stopped by 100 uniformed armed men ... then her line got cut off," he said. He said his wife and relatives were among the dead.

Victims' relatives blamed political rivals in national elections slated for May 2010.

Philippine elections are particularly violent in the south because of the presence of armed groups, including Muslim rebels fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, and political warlords who maintain private armies.

The decades-long Muslim insurgency has killed about 120,000 people since the 1970s. But a presidential adviser, Jesus Dureza, said Monday's massacre was "unequaled in recent history."

"There must be a total stop to this senseless violence," he said, recommending a state of emergency be imposed in the area to disarm all gunmen. "Anything else will not work."

About 100 gunmen were involved in the hijacking, military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said.

Also in the convoy were Mangudadatu's two sisters, followers and several local journalists. They were traveling to nearby Shariff Aguak township to file Mangudadatu's nomination papers for the position of governor of Maguindanao province, Brawner said.

Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan township, accused political rivals belonging to a prominent clan for the massacre. Representatives of that family did not respond to the allegations.

Maguindanao is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which was created as part of a 1996 peace agreement with a large Muslim rebel group.

Army troops went on full alert in Maguindanao to prevent retaliatory killings, Cayton said.

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[jom 4]

Its election time in PI!!

[Jasman0717 9]

Its election time in PI!!

Unfortunately that is true! That is a bad area to begin with.

[Tito Jorge 0]

• 

President Arroyo has really made a mess of things in Mindanao ...

By making promises she had no business or authority to make ... she has spawned all this new violence ... and put all the peoples living in this region lives at risk ...

When the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was created ... it gave Muslims some limited form of self government ...

In 2008 President Arroyo signed an agreement with the Muslims that expanded the physical boundaries of the ARMM as well as gave the muslims total autonomy and political authority to govern the area ... in effect creating a new autonomous Muslim nation within the Philippines ...

The local non-muslim population and their elected leaders were totally outraged at such a betrayal and filed for an injunction in the Philippines supreme court ... the agreement the president signed with the muslims was found to be unconstitutional and therefore invalid ... the current violence broke out soon after ...

-- George

[cEzYcHiC 0]

Geez! Now this would definitely ruin our planned vacations back home.

Hubby is already having no guts to come back home and so as our invited friends from here to visit PI and see Palawan.

He thinks that Filipinos there are uncivilized since they behead people.

[Lingladyinred19 13]

that's in our place so sad...

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

It's the Wild, Wild West, for sure. Except they carry bolos, instead of six shooters.

Edited November 24, 2009 by Lone Ranger

[marklovetina 52]

oh yeah my honey saw this news too... soooo sad it happend to them and the fact that the x-mas is very near, only just a few wks...

ADVANCE MERRY X-MAS TOO ALL!!!

[Dakine 26]

Bad enough having MILF, NPA and other radical groups. Oh boy! Here comes the DEADLY election year.

Great country to be FROM!

Manila, Philippines (AHN) - Gunmen killed at least 21 people, 12 of them journalist in what Philippine government officials are calling the most "gruesome massacre of civilians" in recent history. Before they were killed some of the hostages were raped and beheaded.

Many believe the Monday daytime abductions and killings were politically motivated. The military has said the gunmen were loyal to the province's incumbent governor. Some of the victims include the gubernatorial candidate's wife and one of his sisters. At least 12 journalists were slain following the group's abduction.

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/70...7#ixzz0XkPLRCJE

[George and Movi 1]

This is the threatening and alarming scene in Mindanao. For a number of times, I saw that place as we always passed by every time we go to Cotabato City. Its a basically poor one, where most of the houses are made of poor and cheap materials, bamboo and coconut wood and leaves, yet the only structures that stood noticeable amidst the poor community are the beautiful mansions of the elected government officials. Even the provincial capitol building is nothing compared to those mansions. and take note, I heard that the government was even renting the one of the mansions and used as government office while the capitol building was under construction.

Lets hope and pray that Justice be given to the victims. Or it might be one of those cases which will be classified as unsolved ones.There were rumors that during the heat of "hello Garci controversy", Garci was housed in one of those mansions. who knows!!! and add that to the fact that during the last national elections, the Administration got all the votes while the opposition got ZERO!!

Mindanao is beautiful but our government officials who are working in cahoots with some ill willed groups will turn this island into another Afghanistan. what a pity!!

[badger 0]

i say your country needs another dictator running it with an iron fist. Like when macros was running it for his first 2 terms. There was no problems then everything was good in the Philippines economy was good buildings were nice not so dirty and poorly built as today and it was much cleaner back then. There was more trees better roads. Less garbage every where. Until the college kids and the other rivals got tired of him. Then things started going down hill.

[Mike's Lucy 14]

I heard from the news today that it's actually 40 people. The women were raped before they were killed. Very, very sad.