'Kill them all': How one politician ordered the Philippines' worst political massacre

Court verdict reveals how unchecked power led to the Philippines' most brutal political massacre in 2009

New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

The men at a swanky Manila hotel were talking and laughing like they were organising a picnic but what they had in mind was murder.

Four months later, 58 men and women would be slaughtered in the most savage way on a deserted hill at the end of a rutted track in a fringe village in the war-ravaged, southern province of Maguindanao.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on December 22, 2019, with the headline 'Kill them all': How one politician ordered the Philippines' worst political massacre. Subscribe