(CMFR/IFEX) – The quest for justice in the killing of print, radio, and television journalist Edgar Damalerio came to a favourable conclusion when the local court convicted his killer, Guillermo Wapile, and sentenced him to life in prison on 29 November 2005 in Cebu City. Damalerio’s widow, Gemma, broke into tears upon hearing the judgment […]
(CMFR/IFEX) – The quest for justice in the killing of print, radio, and television journalist Edgar Damalerio came to a favourable conclusion when the local court convicted his killer, Guillermo Wapile, and sentenced him to life in prison on 29 November 2005 in Cebu City.
Damalerio’s widow, Gemma, broke into tears upon hearing the judgment handed down by Judge Ramon Codilla of the Cebu City Regional Trial Court Branch 19. The emotion was shared by Edgar Ongue, the slain journalist’s friend and key witness in the case, who sat expressionless, but nonetheless heaved a sigh of relief with the outcome of the case.
The battle is not completely won, however, as Wapile’s lawyers have said they will appeal the decision. Nonetheless, the Damalerio family and several journalists view it as a triumph of justice.
This is only the third time there has been a conviction for any of the 55 murders of journalists that have occurred since democracy regained a footing in the country in 1989. However, this conviction could be considered the most timely, since the number of media-related killings have been on the rise in the last three years. This has prompted international media organizations to label the Philippines as the “most dangerous place for journalists.” In the latest world press freedom rating released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Philippines ranked 139th out of 167 countries.
A “life” sentence (reclusion perpetua) is actually 40 years of imprisonment, second only to the death penalty in gravity.
“Even if it’s just reclusion perpetua, we’ll take it,” said Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ) representative and Philippine Press Insititute (PPI) executive director, Jose Pavia, who attended the court hearing yesterday. The case, he noted, had ended relatively successfully, in comparison to other cases of slain journalists.
In an interview with the CMFR, Damalerio’s widow expressed mixed emotions about the outcome of the case, saying she was “happy with the judge’s resolution, but it is only the start of yet a long process as the defense is expected to appeal their case.”
“I would like to thank all, especially the media organizations that never wavered in monitoring and helping the case of my husband,” she added.
Damalerio, a radio commentator for dxKP-Pagadian, managing editor of the “Zamboanga Scribe”, and host of the cable TV program “Enkwentro” (Encounter), was gunned down on 13 May 2002 while driving a jeep along a street in Pagadian City. His two companions, Edgar Amoro and Ongue, were able to get a good look at the killer, whom they later identified as Wapile.
