Attacks on the Press in 2005 - Philippines

The epidemic of murderous attacks on the Philippine press corps finally forced the government to reverse its longtime denial of the problem and to step up efforts to combat the violence. Some limited progress in law enforcement, a landmark conviction in one murder case, and growing support for broadcast reforms could signal a change for the better for the Philippine press.

Four journalists were killed in retaliation for their work in 2005, down from a record high of eight in 2004 – and bringing to 22 the number of Philippine journalists murdered since 2000, according to CPJ research. The death toll drew international attention when CPJ named the country the most murderous in the world for journalists in a May report.

The brazen March murder of a crusading female columnist sparked outrage among press freedom groups and the public. A gunman walked into the home of Marlene Garcia-Esperat on Easter weekend and shot her in the head in front of her two children. Garcia-Esperat had made many enemies while investigating corruption for her weekly column in the Midland Review on the southern island of Mindanao. Task Force Newsmen, a Philippines National Police unit launched by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2004 to track down journalists' killers, arrested four suspects two weeks later. The suspects accused two Mindanao agriculture officials of plotting the murder.

Tensions between the press and the government came to a head in May when two more journalists were murdered in less than a week. The killings came just as CPJ released "Marked for Death," a worldwide analysis of press attacks that found the Philippines to be the most murderous country. The designation startled many Filipinos, who had grown numb to the ongoing violence. Efforts by CPJ and other domestic and international press freedom organizations to raise awareness of the deadly trend had been rebuffed by government officials time and again. Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye discounted a 2004 CPJ assessment as "misplaced and misleading," and he initially dismissed the "most murderous" label as "unfair and exaggerated."

But two days after CPJ released "Marked for Death," the death toll grew higher still. Radio broadcaster Klein Cantoneros died on May 4 after being shot several times by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Dipolog City on Mindanao. Cantoneros, who leased airtime through a controversial practice known as "block-timing," was known for hard-hitting commentary in which he accused local officials of corruption and illegal gambling. He fired back at his assailants with a .45-caliber pistol but succumbed to his injuries later that day. In September, police arrested a suspect after a witness identified him as one of three gunmen.

On May 10, publisher Philip Agustin was shot in the head through an open window in his daughter's home, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northeast of Manila. Agustin was about to release a special edition of his paper, the Starline Times Recorder, dedicated to corruption and illegal logging in the nearby town of Dingalan. He was also a critic of the mayor of Dingalan, Jaime Ylarde. The gunman, arrested four days later, accused the mayor of plotting the murder, according to news reports. Ylarde has repeatedly denied any involvement and has not been charged.

Outraged at the growing death toll, reporters in Manila started a group called ARMED – the Association of Responsible Media – to train journalists in firearms and security issues. Images of gun-toting journalists on firing ranges received widespread international coverage, but local Philippine groups like the National Union of Journalists questioned the wisdom of adding more firepower to an already deadly situation.

Facing a new wave of violence and international attention, the government finally modified its public response to the killings. Arroyo called the murders of journalists "acts of violence against the nation itself." She launched a five million peso (US$92,500) Press Freedom Fund to offer rewards for information on the killings, instituted witness-protection programs, and assured the country that "the whole criminal justice system has been alerted and put in motion."

A CPJ delegation visited the Philippines in June to investigate the reasons behind the killings, traveling to the capital, Manila, and provinces in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The delegation consisted of Abi Wright, CPJ's Asia program coordinator; Roby Alampay, executive director of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance; and A. Linn Neumann, executive editor of the Hong Kong-based daily The Standard. In a subsequent special report, "On the Radio, Under the Gun," CPJ's Wright found that a deeply entrenched culture of impunity, rampant corruption, gun violence, and a rising overall crime rate conspired to create deadly conditions for the press. Government officials have been linked to half of the journalist murder cases, and police officers are frequently named as suspected gunmen.

Journalists also told CPJ that professional reforms were needed to raise ethical standards. Block-timing, in which radio commentators lease airtime and solicit their own commercial sponsors, drew particular concern. Critics said block-timers are more likely to abuse their power and engage in questionable practices. One such practice is called "AC/DC journalism: Attack, collect. Defend, collect." These broadcasters attack and defend reputations based on who is paying them off.

CPJ found that 17 of the 22 journalists murdered in the Philippines over the last five years were radio broadcasters. At least seven were block-timers, according to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, a local press freedom organization.

Another outspoken block-timer was gunned down in July on Mindanao. Rolando "Dodong" Morales was ambushed and shot at least 15 times by a gang of assailants on motorcycles while he was on his way home from work. Police cited his anti-drug commentaries as a possible motive in the attack. In August, police in General Santos City arrested and filed murder charges against two suspects in Morales' murder, including the alleged mastermind.

The government claimed that it had solved half of the journalist murders committed since 1986, but CPJ and others found the claim to be misleading. The government defines a case as "solved" at the mere identification of a suspect. While more criminal cases were filed against suspects since Task Force Newsmen was formed, convictions in these cases remained extremely rare.

The 2005 murder cases showed law enforcement acting more quickly than in the past, but the record is far from complete. The murder charges brought against the purported masterminds in the Garcia-Esperat murder were dropped in September because of conflicting evidence. Although the gunman in the Agustin murder alleged that the local mayor had hired him, no legal action was immediately taken against the politician. Suspects have been arrested in the Cantoneros and Morales cases, but they have yet to go to trial.

Journalists were encouraged by a guilty verdict in one closely watched murder trial. Former police officer Guillermo Wapile was convicted on November 29 of gunning down Edgar Damalerio, an award-winning editor and radio commentator, in Pagadian City in 2002. Damalerio's widow, Gemma, had successfully lobbied to move the trial to Cebu City – away from local violence and corruption – in hopes of getting a fair proceeding.

Two witnesses to the Damalerio murder were slain while the case was pending. In February, unidentified gunmen killed witness Edgar Amoro as he left the high school where he taught. The other, Jury Lavitano, was murdered in 2002. The sole remaining witness, Edgar Ongue, testified despite threats to his life.

Judge Ramon Codilla sentenced Wapile to life imprisonment. A courtroom filled with the journalist's family, friends, and supporters erupted in applause as the judge's verdict was read aloud. Damalerio's widow told CPJ she was "very happy" with the verdict, and she thanked press groups for their efforts to secure justice for her husband.

Press freedom advocates were hopeful that the verdict would sustain the momentum in the campaign for safer and more just conditions. Yet considerable challenges remain. Three more journalists were gunned down in less than two weeks in late 2005. CPJ is investigating to determine whether the slayings were connected to the victims' work.

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Killed in 2005 in the Philippines

Marlene Garcia-Esperat, Midland News and DXKR, March 24, Tacurong

A gunman walked into columnist Marlene Garcia-Esperat's house in the city of Tacurong, and shot her in front of her family. Garcia-Esperat died at the scene from a single bullet wound to her head, police told reporters. The gunman and his accomplice escaped from the scene on a motorcycle.

An anti-graft columnist for the Midland Review in the southern island of Mindanao, Garcia-Esperat, 45, was under police protection as a result of death threats. Local news reports said that on the day of the shooting she let her two guards leave early for the Easter holiday.

The Philippine National Police Chief, General Arturo Lomibao told reporters "the motive is work-related as media practitioner." In a radio interview, George Esperat said that his wife had "made many enemies because of her exposés" and that she had received death threats via text message. He also suggested Garcia-Esperat's murder was connected to a corruption story that she wrote, accusing a police officer of involvement in illegal logging activity. Tacurong Police Chief Raul Supiter said that no motive had been ruled out, according to the Philippines-based MindaNews news service.

On April 11, police announced the arrest of four suspects, including an army sergeant. The four were said to confess their involvement, according to local reports. Newspapers reported several possible leads as to the mastermind; those reports included allegations that two officials from the Mindanao Department of Agriculture, Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, plotted Garcia-Esperat's murder. The officials denied the accusations, but one of the defendants, Randy Barua, a former bodyguard for Sabay, told police that he hired the gunmen at the behest of Montañer and Sabay, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

Murder charges were brought against the two officials, but a judge dismissed them on August 31 because of what he termed insufficient and conflicting evidence. The Esperat family lawyer, Nena Santos, told the Manila Standard that the dismissal was "highly questionable and suspicious," and that it was a "miscarriage of justice." Santos said the judge made the decision the day before being transferred to another jurisdiction, and the court clerk did not announce the ruling until September 20.

Press freedom groups protested the dismissal of charges against the accused masterminds. The four initial defendants also complained to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Gerry Cabayag, identified as the gunman, said he was afraid of retribution from the two agriculture officials, the Inquirer reported.

A chemist by training, Garcia-Esperat began her work exposing corruption in the early 1990s. During her tenure as ombudsman for the Department of Agriculture, she filed legal actions against several officials accusing them of graft, according to the Inquirer. She also spent two years in the witness protection program due to her ombudsman discoveries.

Garcia-Esperat became a full-time journalist in 2004 after growing frustrated with the government's tepid reaction to corruption, she told the Inquirer in an earlier interview. She started hosting a program on local radio station DXKR in 2001, and began her column "Madame Witness" at the end of 2002. Garcia-Esperat was also a longtime source for many journalists.

Klein Cantoneros, DXAA-FM, May 4, Dipolog City

Cantoneros, a "block-time" radio broadcaster known for hard-hitting commentary, died after being shot as many as seven times by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Dipolog City on the southern island of Mindanao.

Cantoneros, 32, who frequently criticized local officials for alleged corruption and illegal gambling on his talk radio program on DXAA-FM, was returning home at around 1:30 a.m. when he was attacked by as many as three gunmen, according to local news reports.

Cantoneros was clutching his own .45-caliber pistol when he was found, and he appeared to have fired back at his attackers, the news Web site ABS-CBN quoted police as saying. Cantoneros' colleague, Robert Baguio, told radio station DZBB that the journalist identified his assailants before undergoing surgery, according to the Inquirer News Service. He died at around 11 p.m.

Cantoneros' colleagues told reporters that the journalist had received several death threats, some by text message, ABS-CBN reported. Journalists said that Cantoneros was likely murdered in retaliation for his bold commentary about local politicians.

Cantoneros began hosting his popular program, "Nasud, Pagmata Na" (People, Wake Up), in 2004. Prior to joining the station, he did public relations for political candidates.

A special task force dedicated to solving Cantoneros' murder was formed in May, headed by Dipolog City Philippine National Police Chief Tomas Hizon. In September, police arrested a suspect after a witness identified him as one of three gunmen. Another witness confirmed the identification. The suspect has denied involvement.

"Block-timing" is a controversial practice in which the broadcaster leases airtime from a station owner. These commentators solicit their own commercial sponsors; critics say they are more likely to abuse their power and engage in questionable practices.

Cantoneros died two days after CPJ named the Philippines the most murderous country for journalists in the world.

Philip Agustin, Starline Times Recorder, May 10, Paltic

Agustin, editor and publisher of the local weekly Starline Times Recorder, was killed by a single shot to the back of the head, according to local news reports. Police said a gunman fired through an open window in the home of Agustin's daughter and then fled on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice. The murder occurred in the village of Paltic, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) northeast of Manila.

A special edition of the Starline Times Recorder dedicated to corruption and illegal logging in the nearby town of Dingalan was scheduled to come out on May 11. Valentino Lapuz, a member of the local council who witnessed the shooting, said in an interview with GMA television that the newspaper linked the local mayor to missing government money. Mayor Jaime Ylarde denied wrongdoing.

Agustin's family told police that his articles about local corruption and official inaction against the illegal logging trade were the likely motives for his murder, according to the ABS-CBN news Web site.

Witnesses in May identified three suspects. The alleged gunman, Reynaldo Morete, arrested on May 14, identified Ylarde as the mastermind, according to local press reports and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, a press freedom organization. The other suspects remained at large.

The mayor was not immediately charged and repeatedly denied any involvement in the killing.

Rolando "Dodong" Morales, DXMD, July 3, Polomolok

The radio commentator was ambushed and shot at least 15 times by a gang of motorcycle-riding assailants while driving home on the southern island of Mindanao. Morales, who died at the scene, had just finished hosting his weekly program on radio DXMD in General Santos City.

Danilo Mangila, the local police chief, told reporters that Morales was riding a motorcycle with a companion on a highway leading to the town of Polomolok when eight assailants on four motorcycles stopped him and opened fire at around 6 p.m. The gunmen surrounded Morales and continued shooting even after he fell to the ground, witnesses told police. Morales' companion was wounded, according to local news reports.

Police compiled a list of possible suspects in mid-July that included several police officers assigned to Polomolok, the Inquirer News Service reported.

Police cited Morales' crusading anti-drug commentaries as the likely motive for his murder, but Chief Inspector Rex Anongos, head of the Polomolok police, told the MindaNews wire service that police had not ruled out personal motives for the killing.

In August, police in General Santos City arrested and filed murder charges against two suspects in Morales' murder, including the alleged mastermind.

Morales, 43, hosted a weekly "block-time" program called "Voice of the Village" on Radyo Agong, a Radio Mindanao Network affiliate, and he was known for his tough commentaries, Mangila said. He accused local politicians of corruption and involvement in the illegal drug trade. Morales, who had been broadcasting since 2003, was active with a neighborhood anticrime task force and reported its findings on the air, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility reported. The ABS-CBN news Web site reported that Morales also accused local officials of involvement in summary executions.

Morales worked as an inspector at the Dole pineapple plantation and held local office before starting his radio work, CMFR reported.

Morales' wife, Floreta, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that her husband had received several death threats by text message beginning in November 2004 because of his crusade against illegal drugs. She said that he continued to broadcast despite the threats "because it was a public service," and that he worked at the radio station on a volunteer basis.

Emir Bariquit, program director of DXMD Radyo Agong told the Inquirer News Service that Morales was likely killed for his fiery commentary. Bariquit said he saw a threatening letter sent to Morales a few months ago, warning the commentator to halt his criticism of local officials and illegal drugs.

Arnulfo Villanueva, Asian Star Express Balita, February 28, Naic (motive unconfirmed)

Villanueva, 43, a columnist for the community newspaper, was found shot on a road in the town of Naic, just south of Manila. A local village official found his body, according to the Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR).

Villanueva had criticized local officials in connection with illegal gambling, according to CMFR, but police did not determine a motive.

Ricardo "Ding" Uy, DZRS, November 18, Sorsogon City (motive unconfirmed)

Radio announcer Uy, known for his leftist political activities, was killed by a gunman outside his home in Sorsogon City, Sorsogon province, 230 miles (375 kilometers) southeast of Manila.

Uy, 49, was president of the Media Reporters Association and provincial coordinator of Bayan Muna (People First), a leftist political party. Uy was shot five times by an assailant who fled with an accomplice on a motorcycle, according to Deutsche Presse Agentur. He died soon after at a nearby hospital. In an interview with the ABS-CBN news Web site, Bayan Muna Deputy Secretary General Roberto de Castro said that Uy received threats before he was killed. De Castro said Uy was known as a critic of the army.

Robert Ramos, Katapat, November 20, Cabuyao (motive unconfirmed)

Ramos, 39, a reporter for the weekly tabloid, was shot twice in the head outside a market in Cabuyao, Laguna province, 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of the capital, Manila. Ramos was waiting for a ride home from work when two motorcycle-riding assailants shot him, according to police reports cited in the local media. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

On December 1, police identified two brothers as suspects in the murder. Police said the suspects believed the reporter had tipped off authorities that they sold pirated DVDs and CDs from a shop in Cabuyao. Authorities had raided the shop and confiscated merchandise on November 17. It was not immediately clear whether Ramos worked on a story connected to pirated merchandise.

George Benaojan, DYBB and Bantay Balita, December 1, Cebu (motive unconfirmed)

An unidentified gunman killed radio and newspaper journalist Benaojan in the central city of Cebu before fleeing in a taxi. Benaojan, 27, died at a local hospital shortly afterward, according to international news reports.

Benaojan was talking to a man in a market when the gunman approached and shot the journalist in the mouth, neck, and chest, according to news reports. A bystander was injured by a stray bullet. Witnesses reported seeing the gunman in the area several hours before the attack, according to news reports.

Local police told reporters that Benaojan had been receiving death threats; they were reviewing his commentaries and columns to investigate possible motives. Benaojan had reported on alleged corruption in the local customs bureau for DYBB and Bantay Balita, a publication distributed among customs personnel. Benaojan was known for reporting on official corruption.

Benaojan survived an attack in August 2004 when three men ambushed him and two colleagues. Benaojan told reporters that he returned fire. He said that anger over his radio commentaries or a personal grudge may have been motives for the attack.

The journalist also ran several businesses, according to news reports.