The Philippine government renewed on Thursday its offer of security to the witnesses of the Maguindanao massacre after another potential witness was killed.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, in a news briefing, said that Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo informed Malacanang Palace that there were witnesses in the November 2009 brutal killings who accepted the government's offer of security, while there were those who rejected it.

"We offered security arrangements with the relatives of the witnesses in order to make sure that they are all safe. A number of them accepted the security arrangements. In this particular witness, he politely turned down our offer of security. This is according to Secretary Robredo," he said.

The potential witness, identified as Alijol Ampatuan, was shot dead in February, according to prosecutor Nena Santos. The identity of the victim was only established recently. He was the third possible witness in the Maguindanao massacre who was killed.

Lacierda said that it was unfortunate that another witness was gunned down.

"We certainly do not want their (witnesses) lives threatened and in this situation terminated. We want the Ampatuan massacre case to proceed. And so we will once, according to Secretary Robredo, offer security to those who refused, or who politely turned down our offer of security," he said.

There were 57 people, mostly journalists, who were killed in November 2009 in Maguindanao province. The incident, allegedly masterminded by some members of the powerful Ampatuan clan, was considered as the worst election-related violence in the Philippines.