A Filipino journalist, who previously worked for the Reuters, was killed after a shooting, according to the authorities on Thursday (9).
The case is one of more than 12 journalists killed in the country in the last five years.
Jesus “Jess” Malabanan, 58, who worked for Manila Standard and other media, was gunned down on Wednesday night (8) by unknown snipers while watching television at his home in Calbayog, Samar province, informed the police.
Authorities said the reason for the attack was still unclear and that two armed men fled the scene.
The President’s Spokesperson Rodrigo Duterte, Karlo Nograles, said Malabanan’s death was a “tragic murder” and asked witnesses to step forward.
The presidential task force on Media Security was investigating the incident, Nograles said, and “exploring every angle, including the possibility that the murder was related to his work as a journalist.”
Malabanan last worked with Reuters on the agency’s reporting on Duterte’s drug war, which won the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting in 2018.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jesus Malabanan,” said a Reuters spokesman, describing him as a “talented and tenacious journalist.”
Manila Standard did not comment on the Malabanan murder.
As Philippines they are one of the deadliest places in the world for journalists, with at least 187 dead in the past 35 years, according to the presidential task force, which called Malabanan’s death a “coward.”
The Philippines Foreign Correspondents Association said the killing “underscores the threats and dangers that Filipino journalists continue to face.”
Human rights groups say media violence and intimidation have worsened under Duterte’s government, which took power in 2016.
According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), 21 media workers have been killed in the country since Duterte took office.
The president’s office said it does not tolerate threats against the media.
Malabanan’s murder was criticized by local media associations, activists and politicians, including Manny Pacquiao, retired boxing champion and presidential candidate, who asked police to find the killers.
“This cold-blooded murder is undeniable proof of the glaring impunity that continues to pervade our country,” Pacquiao said in a statement.
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Ed Davies and Nick Tattersall)
Reference: CNN Brasil
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