(CMFR/IFEX) – A radio broadcaster was murdered in Legazpi City, Albay Province, approximately 556 kilometres south of Manila, on 11 February 2004. He was the 44th journalist to be killed in the Philippines since 1986, when the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos ended and democracy was restored. Ruel Endrinal was shot by two unidentified men at […]
(CMFR/IFEX) – A radio broadcaster was murdered in Legazpi City, Albay Province, approximately 556 kilometres south of Manila, on 11 February 2004. He was the 44th journalist to be killed in the Philippines since 1986, when the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos ended and democracy was restored.
Ruel Endrinal was shot by two unidentified men at around 6:20 a.m. (local time), according to Jess Magayanes, a colleague from radio station DZRC-AM. Endrinal was a blocktimer at the station and had a regular morning programme from 6:30 to 7:00 a.m. (Blocktimers buy air time from radio stations for their own programmes and are not station employees.)
Endrinal is the third broadcaster killed in the Bicol region since 2003. On 28 April, two unidentified men killed John Belen Villanueva, Jr., of radio station DZGB, in Legazpi City (see IFEX alert of 30 April 2003). On 2 December, Nelson Nadura, of DYME, in Masbate, was also shot by two unidentified men (see alerts of 4 and 2 December 2003).
In a telephone interview with CMFR, Magayanes said Endrinal was on his way to the station when the suspects attacked him. Aniceto Dimatera, a friend of the victim, added that Endrinal was gunned down 10 to 15 metres from his residence in Barangay Oro Site. Endrinal was shot in the head, left arm and stomach.
Neither Magayanes nor Dimatera could say what the motive for the killing was, but local police are examining the possibility that Endrinal may have been targeted because of his commentaries in his programme MBA sa DZRC (MBA in DZRC).
Magayanes said Endrinal was critical of politicians in the area, including Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara. He and Dimatera added that Endrinal had been receiving death threats.
Dimatera said the police have two witnesses who said they can identify the gunmen. According to these witnesses, they had seen the gunmen in the area for three consecutive days. They did not suspect anything unusual because they thought the two men were only frequenting a small eatery where they always ate.
Magayanes said Philippine National Police Chief Hermogenes Ebdane has already directed Legazpi City Police Chief Eriberto Olitoquit to investigate the case.
