RP ranked anew among most dangerous places for media

The Philippines was ranked anew among the most dangerous places for journalists so far this year as the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) released data yesterday showing 54 journalists having been reported killed while in the line of duty with seven deaths in the Philippines.

WAN cited data on “media persons killed” until September, in which journalists, largely in developing and war-torn countries, fell victims.

Terrorism-plagued Pakistan topped the list with eight journalists killed on duty, seven in the Philippines and six in Mexico among the leading countries, said the Paris-based WAN, a non-profit organization founded in 1948, with 18,000 publications as members.

“It’s so unfortunate that journalists who were willing to work in difficult conditions were killed. There is no security for them in countries without democracy, their voices are often muffled,” Malaysia’s Bernama news agency quoted WAN vice-president Pratap Pawar.

“Eventually, authorities have tosurrender to the media. They must understand that news cannot be suppressed anymore,” Pawar said.

“There are so many mediums to transmit news now, from mobile phone, internet to radio,” he added.

In a separate study, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said 760 journalists were killed thus far since 1992 and another 30 were reported missing as of last year.

According to the New York headquartered CPJ, the missing journalists disappeared while on duty and some of them were feared dead but their bodies not found.

The CPJ has listed Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Russia as the deadliest countries for media persons this year.

CPJ cited the cases of Jojo Trajano, a reporter of tabloid Remate, and Crispin Perez, an anchorman of DWDO Radio in Mindoro Occidental as among the prominent cases of yet to be solved killings of mediamen this year.

Trajano was slain last June 3 in Taytay Town, Philippines in a crossfire during a police raid of an alleged organized crime den near Manila, according to local and international news reports.

Members of the group, which was suspected of drug trafficking and theft, opened fire on police during the 2:30 a.m. raid in Taytay Town, Rizal.

Trajano and a police officer were fatally wounded while a suspect was also killed when police returned fire, according to CPJ.

Trajano, who had accompanied police in his role as crime reporter for the local newspaper Remate, was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital, according to the reports.

Police detained six people following the raid but said that at least two suspects, including the group’s alleged leader, had evaded arrest, the CPJ said.

Perez, meanwhile, was assassinated last June 9 in San Jose, Mindoro Occidental.

An unidentified attacker stabbed and fatally shot Perez, the CPJ said.

The attack took place after Perez’s morning show on local DWDO Radio, it said quoting reports from local newspapers.

The perpetrator pretended to seek advice from Perez, killed him during their conversation, then fled on a motorcycle, according to the reports. Perez, a lawyer and former politician, was declared dead on arrival at the local hospital.

Perez’s widow, who witnessed the attack, identified a local police official who is also a bodyguard for a local politician as the gunman, according to local press freedom group Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), which shared their research on the case with CPJ in Manila in July.

Local journalists believe Perez was killed because his radio program had discussed irregularities in local mining and electricity projects.  –Daily Tribune