Thread: Philippine media groups demand protection after journalist’s murder

A Philippine journalist has been shot dead while driving in the country’s capital, police said on Tuesday, prompting condemnation from media groups and activists, who described his assassination as a blow to press freedom.


Radio journalist Percival Mabasa, 63, was killed by two assailants at the gate of a residential compound in the Las Pinas area of Manila on Monday night, police said.


“That the incident took place in Metro Manila indicates how brazen the perpetrators were, and how authorities have failed to protect journalists as well as ordinary citizens from harm,” said the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.


The national police vowed to bring justice over the attack. The government had no immediate comment.


It followed the fatal stabbing last month of radio journalist Rey Blanco in central Philippines.


The Philippines has one of Asia’s most liberal media environments, but it remains of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists, particularly in its provinces.


At least 187 have been killed in the past 35 years in the Philippines, according to international watchdog Reporters Without Borders, including 32 killed in a single incident in 2009.


Mabasa’s family called his killing a “deplorable crime” and demanded “his cowardly assassins be brought to justice.”


Rights group Karapatan described him as “one of the country’s fiercest truth-tellers”.


Videos on Mabasa’s YouTube channel, which has 216,000 subscribers, showed he had been critical of the previous president and some policies and officials in incumbent Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s administration.


“We are not discounting the possibility that the shooting could be related to the victim’s work in media,” local police chief Jaime Santos said in a statement.


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“We are not discounting the possibility that the shooting could be related to the victim’s work in media”

Sounds like they might have been trained in Bangkok.

^yeah, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was educated in the USA. Georgetown University, I think. She was there at the same time as Bill Clinton (his pre Hillary days) and they knew each other (schoolmates & all that). I don't know which recent president's regime had the worst rep for journalists, so I'll take your word for it.

Du30's term was (in)famous for his war against drugs. There are many local politicians who were killed (gunned down) because they rubbed the admin the wrong way. Whether they were really involved in drugs - I don't know, but if they were accused, they should've gone through due process (charges, court, etc) and not killed mercilessly. Two of those mayors are from towns near me, so I have strong feelings abt it. One mayor was killed in broad daylight during the flag ceremony! (Monday morning, around 8 am). Sigh...

As for Maria Ressa, I admire her tenacity. She still has charges against her & her fight isn't over. I wish her luck. I hope she doesn't become an "Anna Politskovkaya" (sp?)

As for the Marcos clan - yeah, they're back in power. His son, Sandro Marcos is now a congressman. His nephews are politicians too. His elder sister (Imee) is a senator. Happy times. (heh)

As for me, I'm keeping my head down & self-censor my comments because ya know...

Originally Posted by katie23

I don't know which recent president's regime had the worst rep for journalists, so I'll take your word for it.

I know for sure, that in her time Philippines was rated more dangerous for journalists than Irak.

Anyone know if the US had/have an asian equivalent to ' School of the Americas' ?

Just came to think of it, when reading your posts

Originally Posted by helge

Anyone know if the US had/have an asian equivalent to ' School of the Americas' ?

No direct Asian operation. So far the SOA (School of Assasins) only trains folks in the America's.
Note, the name has changed to protect the guilty. Now, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.