MANILA - The US government is temporarily halting several development projects in Maguindanao in the wake of politically-motivated mass killings between two warring clans.

In an interview, outgoing US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney who was in Mindanao on Thursday, said they would like to ensure that the region is secure enough for the development projects to proceed.

On Wednesday, the US and the United Nations issued statements condemning the massacre and called on the government to be transparent in its investigations.

On Monday, family members belonging to the Mangudadatu clan, and the journalists and supporters who were part of a convoy were brutally and summarily killed. They were on their way to file the candidacy papers of a Mangudadatu clan member who is running against a member of the powerful Ampatuan clan in the upcoming May 2010 elections.

As of Thursday, 57 bodies have been recovered so far.

The United States is one of the countries that have poured million-dollars worth of development aid in Mindanao as part of efforts to address economic and peace problems in the southern part of the country.

According to the website of the USAID, the agency that manages aid of the US government to various countries, 60% of its resources allocated for economic assistance to the Philippines have been poured into Mindanao.

(See map of USAID aid in Mindanao here.)

"Between 2001-2008, USAID provided approximately $345 million to reinforce Philippine Government efforts to secure a lasting peace and build a better life for the people of Mindanao," the website said.

Maguindanao is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and located in the south-western coast of Mindanao mainland.