The murder of more than 50 people, including at least 13 journalists, is believed to have been politically motivated. The abduction of a group of political workers and journalists on their way to file nomination papers in Maguindanao province by armed men from a rival group resulted in the macabre attack.

Home to a long running Muslim insurgency, southern Philippines continues to pose a security challenge to the government. While trouble was expected to brew before elections in May next year, it could not be imagined that it would scale the heights of violence witnessed this Monday. Insurgent violence, kidnappings and assassinations may not be a new phenomenon in this part of the country but the shock factor of a mass killing of this magnitude has broken previous records. The killing of women and journalists in particular has created a bigger impact. Spread of terror and insecurity among the people is only one consequence that would require special handling, including provision of physical security guarantees. More worrisome is the fact that this might raise the benchmark of violence witnessed on a smaller scale especially when the targeted group might seek retaliation.  The government is already under considerable pressure to prosecute and punish the attackers. Despite Arroyo having vowed to prosecute the perpetrators of the attack and deal them an iron hand, the situation remains highly tense.

The imposition of emergency and calling in of the army to check further spiralling of violence might just serve as a stop-gap measure. With clan rivalries dominating the political landscape in the south, the government has a bigger challenge to steer the region towards a democratic process. So far at least the factor of the Muslim separatism does not seem to figure on the radar. However, there is a probability that violence and instability might spread and draw in other sources of unrest. While no amount of condemnation is enough for such a barbaric act, the anger must be channelled to focus on preventing further such incidents. Upholding law and authority is more important than giving in to the natural desire to seek revenge. It may be a good opportunity to rethink the futility of clan violence that only perpetuates the vicious cycle.