Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)

(CMFR/IFEX) – Citing the conflicting resolutions of prosecutors in the case, a local court recently dismissed the murder charges filed against the two alleged masterminds in the killing of columnist Marlene Esperat. Esperat was killed on 24 March 2005. In a resolution dated 31 August, Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, Regional Trial Court Judge Francis Palmones […]

(CMFR/IFEX) – In what could be a ray of hope in the murder of radio commentator Rolando Morales, local police said they were about to finally serve arrest warrants and file charges against the suspects. The commentator was killed on 3 July 2005 in General Santos City, around 850 kilometres south of Manila. Central Mindanao […]

(CMFR/IFEX) – After a four-month wait, the police finally gained headway in the 3 May 2005 killing of commentator Klein Cantoneros, with the recent arrest of a suspect in Ozamiz City, about 830 kilometres south of Manila. Robert Woo, 32, was arrested at a local village on 14 September, with the help of an unnamed […]

(CMFR/IFEX) – Two local television journalists were detained by eight public school teachers on 23 September 2005 in San Fernando City, less than 90 kilometres north of Manila. Lanie Ontong, news supervisor of Infomax 8 cable television, and her cameraman, Ignacio Orejas Jr., were held by eight teachers of Sindalan High School before noon (local […]

(CMFR/IFEX) – The following is a 26 September 2005 CMFR statement: Pampanga broadcaster murdered A BROADCASTER working as a local radio health program host was found murdered inside her house on 2 September in Angeles City, Pampanga, 90 kilometers north of Manila. Elaine Malit, 40, anchorperson of radio station dwGV-AM’s Buhay at Kalusugan (Life and […]

(CMFR/IFEX) – Shortly after midnight on 11 August 2005, three men threw stones at the home of Ben Serrano in Butuan City (about 800 km southeast of Manila) and attempted to force their way in. Serrano is a correspondent for the national daily “Philippine Star”. The journalist emerged unscathed from the attack, which he said […]

(CMFR/IFEX) – Three months after identifying the suspects in the killing of editor Philip Agustin, police have failed to arrest two of the three alleged gunmen. Agustin, publisher and editor of the community-based weekly “Starline Times Recorder”, was shot inside his daughter’s house on 10 May 2005. Suspected gunmen Nilo Morete and Manuel Anday were […]

(CMFR/IFEX) – A reporter based in Batangas, south of Manila, has been living in fear for more than three weeks after articles she wrote exposing provincial government corruption angered the local governor, Armando Sanchez. On 8 July 2005, Mei Magsino-Lubis, a correspondent for the “Philippine Daily Inquirer”, received a phone call from a police source […]