The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reiterated its call for urgent action by
authorities in the Philippines
to end the violence against journalists in the country, following the third
murder of a media worker in less than a week.
The murder of Nestor Bedolido, of
the weekly TheKastigador in Digos City, Davao del Sur, Mindanao, on Saturday night
brings to 140 the number of journalists and media workers killed in the Philippines
since 1986.
Of this toll, 107 have been killed under
the outgoing Arroyo administration, according to the National
Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), an IFJ affiliate.
“Ending the killings of journalists
and resolving past cases will be a litmus test of how seriously incoming
president Benigno Aquino considers his promise of good governance for the Philippines,”
IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline
Park said.
“Without urgent and strong action to
ensure justice for these murders, we fear the killings and culture of impunity will
continue.”
According to a report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Bedolido, in
his late 40s, was known to be critical of a prominent politician in Davao del
Sur, and was believed to have written a series of exposés against the official.
Bedolido was shot six times on the street
by a lone gunman who then “casually walked to a waiting motorcycle driven by
another unidentified man”. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died before
he could receive treatment.
Last Wednesday, Jovelito Agustin, of dzJC Aksyon Radyo-Laoag, in Ilocos Norte,
in the northern Philippines,
died after he was shot on his way home.
About 24 hours earlier, Desidario
“Jessie” Camangyan, anchorman of Sunrise FM, in Mati, Davao Oriental, Mindanao, was killed by a single shot to the head as he
hosted a singing contest in Manay.
“Aquino will be judged on his
resolve to hold accountable his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, for the
unprecedented loss of media workers’ lives during her nine-year watch,” Park
said.
For further
information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific
on +612 9333 0919
The IFJ
represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide