NY-based group scores attacks on journalists

Saying the creation of a "special" unit to handle the cases is not enough, a New York-based media watchdog group egged the Arroyo government Friday to ensure "prompt and thorough" investigations into at least two violent incidents targeting Philippine journalists this week. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that while the creation of Task Force Usig was a "good initial step," what are needed now are "arrests and convictions." "We're glad that the government has assigned its special unit to these cases, but it must keep pressure on its investigators to ensure that these cases do not go unsolved like so many others in the Philippines ... The creation of (Task Force Usig) was a good initial step, but arrests and convictions are needed now," CPJ executive director Joel Simon said in a statement on the CPJ website (www.cpj.org). CPJ particularly sought action on the murder of Radyo ng Bayan reporter Carmelo Palacios, whose body was found in Nueva Ecija last Wednesday. The body of Palacios, a police reporter for the government-run DZRB Radio, was found at a roadside in Nueva Ecija. Initial reports indicate he was apparently shot elsewhere the night before his body was dumped. Police said Palacios was shot once in the face, his body was heavily bruised in several places, and his jaw was broken. CPJ cited information from Palacios' colleagues that he was "a strong investigative reporter," who reported on alleged corruption. Rowena Paraan, secretary-general of the National Union of Journalists, told local reporters that she did not know if Palacios had been threatened. Investigators said his cell phone had been taken, but there was still a small amount of cash in a coin purse he was carrying. "CPJ is investigating to determine whether the killing was related to his work," the CPJ said. On the other hand, the CPJ scored the ambush on Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent Delfin Mallari Jr. and dzMM correspondent Johnny Glorioso in Lucena City Thursday. - GMANews.TV