MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Philippine government joined world leaders in denouncing  the terrorist attack in Paris that killed 12, calling the massacre “senseless.”

The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday, January 8, that it was “appalled” by the attacks that claimed 12 lives and wounded several others in Paris. 

“We join the French nation and the rest of the world in denouncing this blatant disregard for human lives and the fundamental right of expression. We condole and sympathize with the families of the victims as they mourn the loss of their loved ones and begin their quest for justice,” the DFA said in a statement.

The government made the statement a day after 3 masked Islamist gunmen raided the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine that pokes fun at all religions – including Islam. The gunmen killed 12 including 8 journalists, in the deadliest attack in France in half a century.

US President Barack Obama and other world leaders condemned the attack, while French President Francois Hollande declared a day of national mourning – only the fifth such declaration of the French government in the past 50 years. (READ: Global condemnation after ‘barbaric’ Paris attacks)

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned the attack, which it said “highlights how intolerance has become an increasingly deadly bane to freedom of expression and of the press.”

Former rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which waged a decades-long war in Muslim Mindanao before signing a peace agreement with the government in March 2014, called the incident an act of terrorism.

“That is plain terrorism, which we, the MILF, distance ourselves from,” MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said in a text message. 

The NUJP said the Paris attack is “sadly, true not only among those who hold to extremist views of whatever faith they believe in but even in countries that profess to respect and protect those freedoms.” 

The organization compared the attacks in Paris to media killings in the Philippines, where another journalist was gunned down that day, though the motive has yet to be established.

“The attack on Charlie Hebdo, the targeted killings of journalists, which have claimed more than 170 lives in the Philippines since 1986, the worsening attempts to muzzle whistleblowers and reporters who bring to light corruption and the dark workings of state security, are all cut from the same mold,” the NUJP said.

The NUJP said it also acknowledged the debate on journalistic responsibility, but maintained violence is never justified.

“While we acknowledge the indispensability of ethics in the profession, we also maintain that no mode of expression, however offensive or unethical it may be, deserves a death sentence,” it said.

He added: “In the face of these, there can be really only one response – to fight back by continuing to express ourselves freely despite our fears. Today, let us all proclaim, JE SUIS CHARLIE!” – with a report from Angela Casauay/Rappler.com