Nature · Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur
Kilantan Spring
A cool spring in Ampatuan, on ground the Teduray hold as a sacred hunting ground.
Loading…
Memory · Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur
Ampatuan massacre memorial
Also known as Maguindanao massacre site, Sitio Masalay.
Save
The place
Memory in Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur
The site in Sitio Masalay where 58 people, many of them journalists, were killed on 23 November 2009.
Memory
Traced to its sources since the guide was written.
When to go
Families and media groups gather at the site for the anniversary around 23 November.
Safety in Maguindanao del Sur
This is the area to arrange rather than improvise. Several municipalities carry standing advisories and a visible military presence, and clan disputes are a real and local phenomenon that outsiders read badly. Travel with a local contact who knows the specific town, coordinate with the LGU, and treat any plan that does not include those two steps as incomplete.
About this place
On the morning of 23 November 2009, 58 people on their way to file a certificate of candidacy for governor for Esmael Mangudadatu, then vice-mayor of Buluan, were stopped in Ampatuan, kidnapped and killed at Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman. The dead included Mangudadatu's wife and 2 sisters, lawyers, aides, passing motorists and journalists; Davao Today counts 32 journalists and Wikipedia at least 34. The Committee to Protect Journalists called it the single deadliest event for journalists since it began keeping records in 1992.
A memorial marker stands at the site with tombstones bearing the victims' names; Davao Today counted at least 38 tombstones in 2017. A separate monument was built nearby in remembrance of the victims.
Show moreShow less
Each year around 23 November, families and colleagues of the victims come to the site for a mass, light candles and lay flowers where the bodies were found.
What to do
Join the anniversary commemoration
Families and colleagues hold a mass at the site around 23 November and light candles at the memorial.
davaotoday.com
Before you go
- This is a grave site; behave as you would at a cemetery and do not walk on the tombs.
- Journalists visiting for the anniversaries have been escorted by the military and police; do not go on your own, and coordinate with local authorities first.
Where you’ll be
Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur
Sources
Where to sleep in Maguindanao del Sur
No lodging here is named by a public source yet. Ask the area’s tourism office, or stay in its main town.
More to see nearby
Everything in Maguindanao del Sur
Heritage · Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur
Old Maguindanao Provincial Capitol
The P218-million capitol the Ampatuans built in Shariff Aguak, about 400 m from their mansions.
Nature · Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur
Sa-Wa River
A clear river pool about 7 feet deep in Sitio Tangkapa, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan.
Heritage · Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur
Limpongo Teduray crafts
A Teduray village in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan where women make and sell rattan and bamboo goods.