Filipinos mark massacre anniversary

MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Philippine President Benigno Aquino III expressed condolences Tuesday to the families of the victims of the Nov. 23, 2009, Ampatuan massacre.

About 3,000 people gathered in Ampatuan to mark the one-year anniversary of the worst case of political violence in the nation's history, GMANews.tv reported.

Fifty-seven people were killed on their way to file candidate petitions and their bodies were buried in open pits in Ampatuan town.

Aquino declared Nov. 23 a National Day of Remembrance for the massacre victims.

"Today we again offer our condolences to the families of the victims and vow to do everything in our power to achieve a timely resolution of this case and ensure that this does not happen again," Aquino said.

In Manila, the names of each of the 57 victims were read on the radio four times in the morning and three times in the afternoon and evening, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

The National Press Club of the Philippines organized a mass and motorcade Monday in memory of the 32 media workers who died in the massacre.