26 August 2003

JOURNALIST KNOWN FOR HIS CRITICAL REPORTING KILLED


Noel Villarante, a journalist with radio station DZJV and the newspaper "Laguna Score", was shot dead on 19 August in Santa Cruz, in Laguna Province, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

An unidentified gunman shot the 32 year-old journalist as he was standing in front of his house, says CPJ. The journalist fled inside, but when family members tried to take Villarante to hospital, the gunman shot him twice in the head, killing him instantly.

The motive behind the murder is unclear, says CPJ, which notes that Villarante had written critical reports on corruption and criminal behaviour by police and local officials. RSF adds that the journalist had also denounced illegal gambling operations.

Villarante is the fourth journalist killed in the Philippines this year, notes RSF. The other victims are John Villanueva, of radio station dzGB-AM, Apolinario "Polly" Podeba, of radio station dwTI-AM, and Bonifacio Gregorio, of the local weekly "Dyaryo Banat" [see http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/52495].

Forty journalists have now been killed in the Philippines since the return of democracy in 1986. Not one of these cases has been solved, says the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR). In response to the numerous attacks and the "culture of impunity," CMFR, four other Philippine media NGOs and concerned individuals have created the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ). The Fund's goals include: raising funds to protect journalists under threat; providing assistance to the families of journalists killed in the line of duty; acting as a support group for journalists in distress; following up the prosecution of cases involving attacks against journalists; and promoting responsible journalism as a way to protect journalists.


WHAT YOU CAN DO:

- Write to the Philippine president, using IFJ's sample letter:
http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=1883&Language=EN
For more information, visit:
- CMFR: http://www.cmfr.com.ph/fffj/fffjbackgrounder.html
- RSF: http://www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=7821
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2003/Phil21aug03na.html


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Also from the Communiqué, 27 August 2003

NORTH AFRICA: WIPC LAUNCHES FRANCOPHONE NORTH AFRICA CAMPAIGN 26 August 2003 COLOMBIA: REBELS SUSPECTED AS ONE JOURNALIST KILLED, ONE INJURED 26 August 2003 ERITREA: 15 JOURNALISTS STILL IMPRISONED 27 August 2003 ZIMBABWE: TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS VERBALLY ATTACK MISA 27 August 2003 INTERNATIONAL: ARTICLE 19 CONCERNED ABOUT "RIGHT OF REPLY" ON THE INTERNET 27 August 2003 INTERNATIONAL: IFJ HOSTS CONFERENCE ON PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING IN EUROPE 27 August 2003 INTERNATIONAL: WAN appoints new director of press freedom programmes 27 August 2003 INTERNATIONAL: ICFJ SURVEY FINDS ALARMING CONDITIONS FOR LATIN AMERICAN JOURNALISTS 27 August 2003 INTERNATIONAL: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES KURT SCHORK AWARD WINNERS 27 August 2003

Philippines

Radio commentator threatened on Facebook 25 May 2012 Another Mindanao radio anchor receives threat over mining stories 15 May 2012 Radio commentator in Mindanao receives death threat 15 May 2012 Sometime weather reporter killed 10 May 2012 Radio broadcaster shot dead in Davao Oriental 9 May 2012 See all alerts: Philippines


Asia and Pacific

INDIA: Charges against video journalist must be dropped 25 May 2012 CAMBODIA: Lake activists sentenced, monk detained after taking part in protest 25 May 2012 PAKISTAN: Moves to squelch media, again 25 May 2012 CHINA: Anti-foreign attitudes bode ill for China correspondents 24 May 2012


 
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