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Monday, September 08, 2003
Davao condemns killing of journalist
DAVAO CITY -- Dabawenyos and colleagues in the media condemned Sunday the killing late Saturday of outspoken radio broadcaster and former councilor Jun Pala, who had survived two murder attempts in recent years.
Pala, a commentator on radio station DXGO, had just stepped out of a friend's house when two gunmen shot him dead, the police and co-workers said.
Lawmen said they had no immediate suspects in the killing.
There had been two attempts on the life of Pala, one in 2001 and another last April. Pala was wounded in both incidents, in which no suspects were arrested.
In the 1980s, Pala had been a fiery critic of communist insurgent guerrillas who were active in the south. In recent years, he had publicly assailed local politicians for alleged corruption.
Pala is the fifth journalist to be killed in the Philippines this year. Two radio journalists were shot dead in separate incidents in August.
Journalists in Davao City described Pala's killing as a "big, fatal blow" on the media.
Unidentified gunmen shot Pala, 49, even as journalists were demanding thorough investigation on the murder of reporter, cameraman and spinner of dxFS-FM Rico Ramirez in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur last Aug. 20 and Laguna broadcaster Noel Villarante last Aug. 19.
The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) is demanding speedy, decisive action from government officials to halt the spate of killings of journalists in the country.
A survivor of a 1991 ambush when he was still a city councilor and another last April 29, Pala had lately taken to working away from his station: phoning in his commentaries to dxGO radio station from his home. NUJP said his death gives this country the "dubious distinction of tying with Columbia as the most dangerous place to practice journalism."
"Pala's murder raises the death toll among Filipino journalists to 42 since the "restoration of democracy" in 1986. Nine members of the Philippine press have died in the last two years," NUJP said in a press statement.
Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles expressed hope Pala's killing "will not be another one of those deaths that remain unsolved and forgotten."
"He was a hard hitting man but he does not deserve to die like that...I'ts a big fatal blow to broadcast media in particular. You can silence the man but not what he stood for," Nograles said.
Philippine Star correspondent Edith Regalado said Pala's death "reminds us in the media to once again reflect on what freedom of the press entails. That it comes with enormous responsibility and at the same time with the risks we know we are taking." (AFP/Sunnex)
(September 8, 2003 issue) |
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