Journalist in North Cotabato gets death threat

KIDAPAWAN CITY — A journalist in North Cotabato was shocked to see a wreath for the dead in front of his house, with a message: “May you rest in peace." Williamor Magbanua, 30, a correspondent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer who also contributes stories for GMANews.TV, said he found the wreath around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. According to him, the wreath was with a letter allegedly coming from Front 72 Valentine Palamine Command of the New Peoples Army (NPA) Far South Mindanao Region and signed by a certain Dencio Madrigal who identified himself as the rebels’ spokesman. He said the note accused him of trampling the rights of women by sowing intrigues and fabricated reports against a woman political candidate. Aside from being a journalist, Magbanua also works as information officer of incumbent Cotabato 2nd district Representative Bernardo Piñol, Jr., and hosts a radio blocktime program aired every Monday noon over dxND of the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation. Piñol is seeking another term as representative of North Cotabato’s second district. Magbanua, however, was not convinced the letter came from the NPA. "This is not the way the NPA writes its press statement. For so many years as a radio reporter who used to write stories about [the] NPA, I know how the rebels write and send their statements." The letterhead, according to Magbanua, was just a photocopy of the original. "It seems that the one [who] sent the letter just photocopied the original letterhead of the NPA and used it in writing this note," he said as he challenged the rebels to send a confirmation if the letter really came from them. He denied the accusation that he violated women's rights. Magbanua said the wreath confirmed his suspicions that there is a group out to silence him. Magbanua recalled that on two occasions since Saturday, he noticed two suspicious-looking men on board a motorcycle tailing him as he was driving back to his house at the Sandawa Homes. "I had to stop and seek assistance from a friend until I reached my house. This happened for two days. I just confirmed today that there is a group out to silence me when I received the wreath for the dead. But I don’t believe such threat came from the rebels," he said. — Malu Cadelina Manar/LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV