RP tagged as most dangerous place in Asia for journalists

MANILA, Philippines — Following the attack on a Mindanao radio reporter last week, the Philippines is now the most dangerous place in Asia to work as a journalist, an international media watchdog group lamented. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said at least five journalists, three of them radio commentators, were killed in the Philippines last year alone. "In cooperation with local partners, CPJ launched a global campaign to combat impunity for journalist murders, initially focusing on the Philippines and Russia. CPJ's 2008 Impunity Index ranked the Philippines in sixth place as the country with the most unsolved murders of journalists," CPJ said on its website (www.cpj.org). CPJ made the assessment a week before launching its 2009 Impunity Index on March 23 in Manila, along with the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists. The group called for a thorough investigation into the latest case against journalists, involving Nilo Labares, head reporter of dxCC Radio Mindanao Network. "We regret that the persistent lack of arrests or convictions in such cases has allowed a culture of impunity to take deep root across the Philippines," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. Last March 5, two gunmen shot Labares twice at around 9 p.m. near his home. The men fled on a motorcycle. Two suspects, Felizer Caitor and Bernardo Aguilar, surrendered to police Monday. "We call on the police in Cagayan de Oro to conduct a swift and independent investigation into the attack on radio journalist Nilo Labares and bring the assailants to justice," Dietz said. At least two Philippine journalists have been killed in Mindanao so far this year. Last month, gunmen shot and killed radio broadcaster Ernie Rollin in Misamis Occidental province. In January, radio commentator Badrodin Abbas was shot by two motorcycle-riding assailants in Mindanao's Cotabato City. CPJ said it is investigating whether the attacks were motivated by their work as journalists. Tracker teams Police have denied criticisms that nothing has been done to protect journalists despite the government’s pronouncements. On Friday, the Philippine National Police said it was fielding dedicated tracker teams to go after 27 people linked to killings of several journalists. Police Director Raul Bacalzo, head of Task Force USIG that was formed to investigate the killings of journalists, said the 27 includes two members of the military, four from the police, two mayors and 17 civilians, and the communist New People’s Army. Bacalzo said there were 31 work-related cases of slain journalists since 2001. The task force filed 26 cases against 64 identified suspects involved in these cases. Of the suspects, 17 have been arrested, 10 surrendered, four have been convicted, 27 are at-large, while three were killed in separate encounters with lawmen. - GMANews.TV