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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-13/maguindanao-massacre-grave-site-sm.webp" alt="Maguindanao massacre grave site" />
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(Maguindanao massacre grave site)
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The announcement was made days after hundreds of government troops were sent to the province, which would later raid armories of the powerful Ampatuan clan. The Ampatuan family was implicated in the massacre, which saw the murder of 58 persons, including women members of the rival Mangudadatu clan, human rights lawyers, and 31 media workers. This was considered the worst incident of political violence in the nation's history. It has also been condemned worldwide as the worst loss of life of media professionals in one day in the history of journalism.
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The Maguindanao massacre occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, on the island of Mindanao. Some of the victims were on their way to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan town, were kidnapped and killed. Mangudadatu was challenging the mayor of Datu Unsay town, Andal Ampatuan, Jr., son of the incumbent Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr. 
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December 4, 2009: Maguindanao province was placed under Martial Law