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JOURNALIST SHOT DEAD

IFEX members are calling on Philippine authorities to determine whether a journalist shot dead on 2 April 2006 in Tarlac City, the Philippines, was killed because of his work.

Orlando Mendoza, a columnist who wrote for several local newspapers, was ambushed by unidentified gunmen while on his way home, and sustained fatal wounds to his head and body, reported the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Mendoza, 58, wrote for the "Tarlac Profile" and acted as the editor-in-chief of another newspaper, "Tarlac Patrol". Mendoza was also the vice president of the Camp Marabulos Press Club and a director of the Tarlac chapter of the Central Luzon Media Association (CMLA).

He worked at the local municipal office as a "documentation consultant" on land disputes, according to CLMA. Mendoza used to work in the local office of the Department of Agrarian Reform, a government agency tasked with implementing and managing land reform in the country.

As a journalist, Mendoza wrote columns which did not attack specific individuals or organisations, according to local journalists. However, Mendoza was charged with libel last month by a local faction of the Philippine Guardian Brotherhood, a military fraternity, for vilifying them in his columns. The charge was dismissed by a local court in late March.

The Philippines is widely considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. In 2005, nine were killed, according to the International Press Institute (IPI).

Visit these links:
- CMFR: http://www.cmfr-phil.org/
- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=3820&Language=EN
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2006/asia/phil04apr06na.html
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16934
- CMFR Analysis of Journalist's Killings: http://www.cmfr-phil.org/fffj1.htm
- National Union of Journalists of the Philippines: http://www.nujp.org/
- Southeast Asian Press Alliance: http://www.seapabkk.org
- IPI: http://tinyurl.com/hpd9c
- International Federation of Journalists: http://www.ifj-asia.org/page/philippines.html
- Committee to Protect Journalists: http://www.cpj.org/attacks05/asia05/phil_05.html
- Reporters Without Borders: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13437