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CPJ Calls for Inquiry into Journalist's Murder
Source: Committee
to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
May 15, 2002
In a 15 May 2002 letter to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, CPJ
condemned the recent murder of Edgar Damalerio, managing editor
of the weekly newspaper "Zamboanga Scribe" and a commentator on
DXKP radio station in Pagadian City on the island of Mindanao.
At about 8:00 p.m. (local time) on 13 May, an unidentified gunman
shot Damalerio in his jeep as he was driving home from a press conference
in Pagadian City. He was killed by a single gunshot wound to his
left torso.
Two witnesses riding in Damalerio's jeep said the gunman, who was
on a motorcycle driven by another unidentified male, was waiting
alongside the road as Damalerio approached. The assailants fled
the scene and have not yet been apprehended.
CPJ believes that Damalerio may have been killed for his journalistic
work; he was known for his critiques of corruption among local politicians
and the police.
Most recently, Damalerio had published an exposé of the Lanao
del Sur Electric cooperative revealing that the company had failed
to account for 50 million pesos (US$1 million) earmarked for projects
that were never completed.
On the day of Damalerio's shooting, his wife sent him a text message
alerting him that she had noticed two men "casing the house," according
to a report in the "Philippine Daily Inquirer" by Hernan dela Cruz,
the publisher of the "Zamboanga Scribe".
A few hours before Damalerio was shot, an employee of the "Zamboanga
Scribe" also reported receiving a number of mysterious anonymous
calls. On 14 May, an unidentified male made threatening phone calls
to the offices of the "Zamboanga Scribe" implying that the staff
of the newspaper was in danger, according to dela Cruz's report.
Damalerio's murder is only the latest in a string of killings that
have been committed since democracy was restored in the Philippines
in 1986. Thirty-eight journalists have been killed during the last
16 years, and none of the perpetrators has ever been convicted.
Journalists are especially vulnerable on the strife-torn island
of Mindanao, where separatist Muslim guerrilla groups are battling
the Philippine army.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send appeals to the president:
- condemning her government's failure to prosecute those responsible
for the murders of the country's journalists
- noting that such impunity threatens the Philippines' international
reputation as a democracy
that respects press freedom
- urging Her Excellency to ensure that Damalerio's killers are brought
to justice in a timely manner, and that her administration makes
public any findings from the investigation
- further asking that she take steps to ensure that all journalists
in the Philippines can work without the fear of violent retribution
APPEALS TO:
Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President, Republic of the Philippines
Malacayang Palace
Manila, Philippines
Fax: +63 2 735 6152
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