RADIO BROADCASTER GUNNED DOWN IN MINDANAO

PHILIPPINES: RADIO BROADCASTER GUNNED DOWN IN MINDANAO

A radio broadcaster who often criticised local corruption was shot to deathon 17 November in Gingoog City, Mindanao, southern Philippines, report theCenter for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and other IFEX members. Aresio Padrigao, broadcaster at Radyo Natin (Our Radio), had just droppedoff his daughter in front of Bukidnon State University on the morning of 17November when he was killed by a gunman riding tandem on a motorcycle. While the motive is unclear, CMFR believes Padrigao was killed for his workas a journalist. Padrigao anchored "Sayri ang Katilingban" (Know thePeople), which aired every Friday. He often criticised local governmentcorruption as well as illegal logging activities in the province on hisprogramme. He also wrote a column for the community newspaper "MindanaoMonitor Today". Toto Gancia, a radio announcer at the same station, told CMFR that Padrigaohad received threats prior to his murder. "The threats told him in effectthat he would not live 'til Christmas," Gancia said. According to CMFR, Padrigao was the fifth Filipino journalist killed in theline of duty in 2008. Of the 37 journalists murdered in relation to theirwork during President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's reign, only two haveyielded convictions for the gunmen and none have resulted in convictions ofthe masterminds, says CMFR. "The aura of impunity surrounding these attacks on journalists is thegovernment's fault," says the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "Aslong as authorities continue in their failure to prosecute thoseresponsible for such killings, journalists will be seen as easy targets." CPJ has launched a global campaign to combat impunity in unsolvedjournalist murders, focusing initially on the Philippines and Russia. Visit these links:- CMFR via Southeast Asian Press Alliance:http://www.seapabkk.org/newdesign/newsdetail.php?No=992- CPJ: http://tinyurl.com/62o3x8- International Federation of Journalists: http://tinyurl.com/67z6nf- Reporters Without Borders (RSF): http://tinyurl.com/6y6erl
sOURCE : IFEX NEWS