(WAN/IFEX) – In an 11 March 2005 letter to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, WAN and the World Editors Forum (WEF) expressed outrage at the murder of two more journalists, Romeo Sanchez and Arnulfo Villanueva. According to reports, on 9 March, Sanchez, the regional coordinator for the Bayan Muna party and a broadcaster at DZNL radio […]
(WAN/IFEX) – In an 11 March 2005 letter to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, WAN and the World Editors Forum (WEF) expressed outrage at the murder of two more journalists, Romeo Sanchez and Arnulfo Villanueva.
According to reports, on 9 March, Sanchez, the regional coordinator for the Bayan Muna party and a broadcaster at DZNL radio station in San Fernando City, La Union, was shot dead by a lone gunman at a bazaar in Baguio. Police described the killing as “a precise operation” that was apparently well-planned.
In a separate incident, on the night of 28 February, Villanueva, a columnist for the “Asian Star Express Balita” community newspaper, was found shot dead on a road in the town of Naic, Cavite Province. Police are investigating whether Villanueva’s murder was related to his profession. He had recently criticised local officials over illegal gambling in some parts of Cavite province.
At least eight journalists died last year in the Philippines in circumstances suggesting that they may have been killed for exercising their profession. This figure puts the Philippines behind only Iraq as the most dangerous country in the world for journalists.
WAN and WEF called on the president to ensure that everything possible is done to swiftly bring those responsible for murdering Sanchez and Villanueva to justice and to end the climate of impunity enjoyed by those who kill journalists. The organizations also urged the president to take all the necessary steps to create an environment in which journalists are able to carry out their profession without fear of violence.
