DAMALERIO MURDER UPDATE
Witness in a Journalist Murder Case killed, another receiving threats

Source: Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
August 16, 2002

An alleged witness in the Edgar Damalerio murder in Pagadian City was killed in an ambush last August 10, Saturday night, in Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur province in Southern Philippines.

Edgar Amoro, another witness in the Damalerio case, and Tukuran Chief of Police Senior Inspector Fulgencio Raguine, said Juvy Lobitaña was accompanying a friend to Pandoma county onboard a tricycle when he was killed. . (A tricycle is a motorcycle with a sidecar widely used for public transportation in rural Philippines.) Another person, Selmer Misal, was killed while Gil Ochate was injured in the attack Amoro told PJR that Ochate, who was hit in the foot, is confined at the provincial hospital. Both he and Misal are friends of Lobitaña who accompanied him on the trip. Lobitaña is an alleged CAFGU member who has inside information concerning the mastermind behind the Damalerio murder.

Amoro also said that a certain “Dodong Daluyun” visited Lobitaña at his home to ask to be accompanied to Pandoma that Saturday night. Lobitaña and his friends, who had earlier dined with him, agreed. Shortly before the volley of gunfire that killed Lobitaña and Misal began, two shots rang out after which Daluyun jumped out of the vehicle. This led Amoro to believe that Daluyun is in league with the attackers. Daluyun has not been seen since the ambush, and Raguine said that the police are currently looking for him.

Police are still investigating the incident but are following up two leads, said Raguine.

Witness receiving threats

Meanwhile, another witness in the murder has been receiving death threats since the death of his colleague. Edgar Amoro, a media volunteer who worked with Damalerio, told PJR that he was under surveillance by unknown persons He said that he had observed several armed men clad in fatigues near his home and office. Amoro told PJR that he had been informed by “a reliable source” that his days were numbered. He said that Camp Crame police officials had advised him to file a complaint and to report further harassment to them.

Amoro told PJR that four armed men clad in fatigues aboard a pick up truck had passed by his home in the afternoon of July 17, but fled after being noticed. Later that night, at around 9:30, six armed men similarly dressed passed by again. He noted that the men did not sport name cloths on their uniforms.

Amoro was bringing Damalerio home the day the latter was killed.

Amoro has filed several cases against Police Officer 1 Guillermo Wapili, the prime suspect in the murder case, and City Police Director Superintendent Asuri Hawani at Camp Crame Police headquarters for grave abuse of authority and misconduct and obstruction of justice, respectively.

Wapile has filed counter affidavits against Amoro in response.

Shot at close range

Damalerio was killed last May 13 as he rushed home from a press conference. He was managing editor of the weekly newspaper Zamboanga Scribe, commentator for radio station DXKP and a correspondent for the Mindanao Gold Star.

He died of a single gunshot wound in the chest as he was being driven home by Amoro. He had just attended a press conference called by the Zamboanga del Sur Electric Rural Cooperative when motorcycle-riding men shot him at close range. He died on arrival at the hospital.

Damalerio was well known in the city for his reports exposing the corruption of government officials. His latest exposé, the Manila Times reported, was on the failure of the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Lasureco) to complete any of its projects during the administration of former Philippine President Fidel Ramos.

The story, which appeared in the Mindanao Gold Star on April 19, claimed that the company lied when it reported that the projects had been completed.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested last May 17 a policeman in connection with the killing of Damalerio, Metro Manila newspapers reported May 18.

Wapili was identified from a police lineup as the killer and not Ronie Quilme who had been arrested the same day by Pagadian police on suspicion of the same offense.

The Pagadian police claimed that another witness in their custody had identified Quilme as the killer. However, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Times and Today reports on May 17 also said that the NBI doubted the veracity of the police witness’ identification because the police witness could not have had a good look at the killer because he was too far away.

The Pagadian police nonetheless filed charges of murder against Quilme before the city prosecutor’s office May 16, reported the Manila newspapers.

Newspaper reports May 18 said the NBI believes that its witness had a better look at the killer and is thus more credible. The same reports also said that the NBI viewed the arrest and filing of charges against Quilme, who it claimed did not fit the description given by its witness, as an attempt to cover up Wapili’s involvement in the case.

Hawani, who is Wapili’s immediate superior, had been criticized by Damalerio in his commentaries.

Several journalism associations, including the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and the Mindanao Institute of Journalism (MinJourn), have issued statements condemning the killing. PPI noted that not one murder of journalists has been solved in the Philippines since 1986.

The murder of another Pagadian-based journalist, Olympio Jalapit, has yet to be solved. Jalapit was killed last November 17, 2000.

Meanwhile, the Manila Times reported that before his death Damalerio had received the 2001 Golden Dove Award for best provincial public affairs (radio) host. The award is among those given annually by the self-regulatory body Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP - Association of Broadcasters in the Philippines) to encourage broadcast excellence.