The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate
the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
(NUJP) in condemning the killing of
a journalist in San Pablo City, Laguna Province, approximately 30 km south of
Manila, in the Philippines, on April 24, 2012.
Michael
Calanasan, 36, a columnist for local daily newspaper The Laguna Courier, was shot and killed by two gunmen riding tandem
on a motorcycle at approximately 7am in San Pablo City’s Santa Monica suburb. Calanasan
also worked as a city traffic enforcer.
Calanasan
and his wife, who witnessed the shooting, were reportedly on their way to San
Pablo City Hall when the journalist was shot in the face. His wife was not hurt
in the attack.
According to the Managing Editor of the Laguna Courier, Calanasan
began working at the newspaper in 2011. Calanasan’s mother is a former Editor-in-Chief of the paper.
The suspected gunmen are yet to be
identified, but the police have offered a reward for any information that leads
to arrests of the suspects.
The
motives behind the murder remain unclear. Reports note that Calanasan's column
focused on local issues and some suggest that the shooting may have been in
connection with Calanasan’s work as a traffic officer, rather than his work as
a journalist.
Unidentified assailants on motorbikes have become common perpetrators of
attacks on journalists and other media personnel in
the Philippines.
“The IFJ calls on the authorities of the
Philippines to act quickly to establish the motive for the killing” IFJ
Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.
“The IFJ again expresses its deep concern
regarding the continuing attacks on journalists in the Philippines that have
taken place throughout 2012.”
For
further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific
on +612 9333 0950
The IFJ
represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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