Journalists in Cagayan de Oro held their annual commemoration of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre on November 24, 2025, moving indoors due to heavy rain from Tropical Depression Verbena. The event honored the 58 victims, including 32 media workers, as families and advocates renewed calls for justice. Despite convictions of key figures, many suspects remain at large and no compensation has been provided.
For the 16th year, members of the press and civil society in Cagayan de Oro gathered to remember the November 23, 2009, Maguindanao massacre, the deadliest incident against journalists worldwide. The attack in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town, Maguindanao del Sur, killed 58 people, including lawyers, civilians, and 32 media workers, carried out by gunmen from the Ampatuan political clan.
Heavy rains from Tropical Depression Verbena forced the group to shift the event from the Press Freedom Monument to the Cagayan de Oro Press Club. There, participants lit candles and heard from Cathy Nunez, whose son Victor, a 22-year-old journalist, was among the first killed. Victor suffered 20 gunshot wounds, a memory that Nunez said fuels her pursuit of accountability. "I am glad to see you supporting us in all these years. You never stopped the quest for justice for the victims," she told the audience.
In 2019, Zaldy Ampatuan, former ARMM governor, and his brother Andal Ampatuan Jr. were convicted, while their father, Andal Sr., died in detention before the trial ended. Appeals are ongoing, with roughly 80 suspects still free and victims' families awaiting compensation. On the day, CenterLaw Philippines petitioned the appellate court for prompt resolution of the appeals and to officially count missing news photographer Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay as the 58th victim.
Lawyer Beverly Musni of the Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao highlighted the deaths of two colleagues, Connie Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo Ayon. "We continue to remember and mourn the two lawyers who were brutally killed that day," she said, criticizing persistent political dynasties for fostering impunity.
Steph Bergano, a journalist from Misamis Oriental Radyo, called on media leaders to shield reporters from threats, including cyberbullying and government actions. "Protect your reporters against attacks. Be it cyber bullying or attacks from government agencies," Bergano urged.
The solemn gathering ended with a candle-lighting ceremony and a Mass led by Father Der John Faborada of the Cagayan de Oro Archdiocese, underscoring the unbroken commitment to memory and justice since the first post-massacre rally in December 2009.