Cavite journalist slain in Pasig shooting incident

(Updated 12:10 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - A newspaper publisher and columnist was gunned down by a lone motorcycle-riding gunman in Pasig City on Monday night - making him the latest casualty of attacks against journalists in the country. In its report, the Pasig City Police identified the victim as 34-year-old Benefredo Acabal, who succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Rizal Medical Center at 10:36 p.m. Police said the shooting incident took place at about 10:15 p.m. along Amang Rodriguez Avenue corner Green Park Village in Barangay Manggahan, Pasig City, the report said. In a telephone interview, officer-on-case PO2 Lardy Ignacio told GMANews.TV that a press identification card recovered from the victim's body showed that Acabal was a columnist and publisher of the Cavite-based newspaper Pilipino Newsmen, which has an office at Governor's Drive in Barangay Hugo Perez, Trece Martires City. The victim, who was identified through his driver's license, was found to be a resident of Block 30 Barangay Bulihan in Silang town in Cavite. Police said Ronaldo Lining, a store janitor who witnessed the incident, said he initially heard gunshot wounds then saw the victim being chased and shot at by the armed assailant. Then, the unidentified suspect boarded a motorcycle and fled. An Army soldier who was reportedly a friend of the victim rushed Acabal to the Rizal Medical Center where he succumbed to several gunshot wounds. Police recovered five empty shells from a 9-mm pistol at the crime scene. "Reluctant magsalita iyong staff sergeant. Basta hinatid niya lang yung biktima at ayaw magbigay ng address (The staff sergeant was reluctant to speak and refused to give his address. He just rushed the victim to the hospital)," Ignacio said. The radio report also said police are looking into the possibility that the killing was work-related. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said that at least 91 Filipino journalists and media practitioners have been killed in the line of duty since 1986. Rowena Paraan, NUJP secretary-general, said the group has yet to verify whether Acabal was indeed a journalist and whether his murder was related to his work. Once confirmed, this would be the first case of journalist killing for this year and the 56th under the Arroyo administration. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV