A family accused of massacring 57 people for political gain in the Philippines plotted the killings over dinner, a court heard today.

A member of a powerful political clan in the Philippines accused of leading the massacre of 57 journalists and members of a rival's family pleaded not guilty on the first day of his trial.

A funeral procession for eight journalists among 57 people killed in the Philippines' worst political violence was showered with flowers today, as security forces confiscated an entire armoury from a powerful clan suspected in the massacre.