The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls for an immediate investigation into an
arson attack on a government-owned radio station in Tabuk, in Kalinga province
in the northern Philippines,
on May 24.
IFJ affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) reports that three unidentified men threw
home-made gasoline bombs at the premises of dzRK Radyo ng Bayan, part of the
Philippines Broadcasting Service, at about 1am on Tuesday. Security guards on
duty were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread.
“Local police must conduct a full
investigation into this attack on the installations of a government-owned media
outlet without delay,” IFJ Asia-Pacific
Director Jacqueline Park said.
“An attack of this nature on a
publicly funded broadcaster is an affront both to free expression and the
public service, and cannot go unpunished.”
Jerome Tabanganay, a local announcer
who hosts the program Agenda on dzRK,
believes the station’s reporting on an illegal lottery game known as “jueteng” may
be the motivation for the attack.
Tabanganay, who is known for his
anti-corruption stance, was himself injured in an attempted
murder at the station on May 14, 2010, just four days after the Philippines
presidential election delivered a landslide victory to President Benigno Aquino
III.
For further
information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific
on +61 2 9333 0919
The IFJ
represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific
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