THE MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE, a crime so horrific, so unspeakable that it led people to ask whether it was committed by animals or monsters, has its roots in four phenomena of Philippine politics and society.

The first is the rise of political dynasties which exercise great power and influence and win many elective positions in national and local elections. Most political dynasties use legal and financial means to win power; some form private armies to terrorize voters into voting for them. The 1987 Constitution provides that “the State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” But up to now no such law has been approved. How can we expect Congress to pass such a law when it is controlled by powerful political dynasties?

The second is the existence of political warlords and their private armies, some of which, as the investigation of the Maguindanao massacre is revealing, are better armed than the army or the national police. Their private armies are the goons used by the political warlords to persuade voters to vote the way they want them to. That is why political warlords, who are often also leading members of political dynasties, are coddled by national officials, including presidents. They are very useful in elections.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo coddled the Ampatuans because they delivered the vote to her in the 2004 presidential election and in the 2007 senatorial election. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) under the Ampatuans was given billions in budgetary outlay, and this became practically the private treasury of the clan. Its members obviously used public money to build grandiose mansions, to buy expensive cars and to arm a battalion-size private army. The members of the clan were coddled because they knew the President’s secrets.

The third phenomenon is the use of military armaments to arm private armies. The ongoing excavations in Maguindanao have turned up armored cars, high-powered guns and ammunition that were supposed to be used only by the military and the police. How did they get to be in the possession of the private army of the Ampatuan clan? Were they sold by military or police officers to the private army? It is well that Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a retired military general, has demanded an investigation so that it may be known how the Ampatuans were able to build up a high-powered armory.

The fourth phenomenon is the culture of impunity. This culture began during the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos and continued through the post-Edsa I administrations. But it is now most notable during the Arroyo administration. Since she took over as president in 2001, 1,013 activists have been killed and 202 have disappeared. Instead of putting a stop to the killings of unarmed activists, Ms Arroyo even emboldened the military to kill more by praising Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan—called “Berdugo” (Butcher) by militants—during her State of the Nation Address in 2006.

From 2001 to date, 99 journalists have been killed and only five suspects have been arrested and brought to justice. Ms Arroyo has been spouting a lot of rhetoric about the killings of journalists, but there has been very little action from law enforcement agencies to solve the many cases and bring the killers to justice. The culture of impunity is emboldening the killers to continue their killing spree. The latest, and the most horrific case, of course, is the Maguindanao massacre where the biggest number of journalists were killed in just one incident.

Ms Arroyo tried to distance herself from the Maguindanao massacre, but try as she may, she cannot dissociate herself from this, perhaps the biggest blot on her questioned nine-year occupancy of Malacañang. She coddled the Ampatuans most probably because they knew her electoral sins and secrets. She gave them all the public funds that they needed and allowed them to build a strong, well-armed private army. And because the Ampatuans had her in their power, they thought they could literally get away with murder. But the Maguindanao massacre is so monstrous, so unspeakable that it cannot be hidden and cannot be forgotten by the nation and the world. The souls of the victims of this terrible crime cry out for justice, and if they cannot obtain it under the present administration, they should get it in the next.