The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in calling for an immediate investigation into
the shooting attack on radio broadcaster Fernando “Kapid” Gabio, in Iloilo City in
the Southern Philippines on the morning of
March 3.
Gabio, 62,
was shot by two unidentified men on a motorcycle in front of his house in
Barangay Democracia, Jaro District, Iloilo
City around 7am. He sustained
a bullet wound in the right thigh. Gabio said he was cleaning his car when the
men shot him. He tried to pull out his gun to retaliate, but the assailants
sped away. Gabio was rushed to the Iloilo
Mission Hospital
for treatment.
Gabio was
the co-host of slain broadcaster Niel “Lito” Jimena at radio station dyRI,
under the
Radio Mindanao Network.
According to
Nestor Burgos, NUJP chair and Visayas correspondent of the Philippine Daily
Inquirer, Gabio has been “hosting block-time radio programs especially
during election periods attacking or defending politicians.”
A block time
is a paid time slot in radio stations whose hosts are usually employed by the
buyer of the time slot.
Senior Supt.
Marietto Valerio, Iloilo City police director, said investigators have yet to
determine the possible motive behind the attack, although they are looking into
the possible links between this and the killing of his co-host.
“The IFJ is deeply concerned that 2012 has seen a continuation of the attacks
on media professionals that we saw in the Philippines in 2011,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.
“We call upon President Benigno Aquino III to honour his pre-election
commitment to defend press freedom in the Philippines, by seeing that all attacks
on media workers are investigated and the perpetrators held accountable for
their crimes.”
About six
months ago, onAugust
22, 2011, Jimena was killed in E.B. Magalona town in Negros
Occidental. Jimena’s case remains unsolved but the Negros Occidental police
earlier said his killing could be related to his work as a broadcaster and as
former informant of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the police
intelligence unit in Iloilo.
For further
information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific
on +61 2 9333 0950
The IFJ represents
more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific
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