TABUK, Kalinga-- President Benigno Aquino III urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to look into the killing of Kalinga broadcaster Pepe Daguio.
Regino Wacas, president of the Kalinga Media Club, said they have got word of the order of the President to probe their colleague's death.
Daguio, 72, was shot dead in his house at Barangay Tuga, Tabuk City around 8 p.m. of July 3, Saturday.
Wacas said unlike the failed attempt on the life of hard-hitting radio reporter Jerome Tabanganay of dzRK, last May 15, which was clearly work related, the murder of Daguio was not.
Although the killing of Daguio was not work related, fellow media practitioners in the area feel that they are safer now with the Presidential order, coupled with the assistance of the local police, Wacas added.
Meanwhile, Joel Egco, chairman of the National Press Club's (NPC) Press Freedom Committee, lambasted the pronouncement of Kalinga Provincial Police Director Virgilo Laya discounting the possibility of Daguio's death as work related.
The NPC is asking the Aquino administration to form a “government-media-private sector super body” to end media killings and appoint a presidential adviser on the preservation of press freedom and journalist protection.
Laya is personally taking over the investigation and manhunt against the perpetrators.
Laya said the victim's son allegedly claimed that the killing may have something to do with the waterworks project being implemented by Daguio in Tuga but was realigned to a deep well project by a certain barangay official.
Laya reported the realignment of the project resulted to the misunderstanding between the victim and the barangay official, who was already invited by the police for paraffin test. (Ma. Elena Catajan)