Malacañang Thursday assured the 29 Asia Pacific journalists who sent a joint letter to President Arroyo in connection with the Maguindanao massacre that it has taken appropriate actions to ensure justice for their 32 colleagues slain last year.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Charito Planas said the Arroyo government did not fall short in ensuring that justice will be served to the 57 victims of the atrocities purportedly committed by the Ampatuan clan.

“Hindi po nagkulang ang gobyerno. Ginawa po ang lahat na dapat gawin para magkaroon ng kapayapaan sa Maguindanao,” she told the Manila Bulletin.

She said the declaration of martial law which led to the arrest of the suspects was a proof itself of the government’s sincerity and commitment to address the atrocities hurled against 57 people, including politicians and journalists.

“It is now in court and we are leaving the (case) up to the court,” she added.

Planas even explained that the Philippines is not the sole country in the world that has cases of killings hurled against journalists.

The Palace official said she “understands” the sentiments of the 29 mediamen from Asia Pacific who expressed “deep concern” about the massacre of the 32 fellow colleagues.

Rahimullah Yusufzai, the award-winning Pakistani journalist who met twice the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, is among the 29 signatories who called on the President “to take the appropriate action to ensure justice is done and to create a better, safer environment for journalists in your country.”

“Their murder, and the death of countless other media workers in your country in recent years, will not be forgotten by us,” the open letter said. "Our goal is to produce better quality journalism, safely and in an unhindered manner," it added.