Veritas volunteer killed; GMA tells Reyes to look into slays

NAGCARLAN, Laguna – Another journalist was killed yesterday, adding to the growing list of media practitioners murdered in the past two weeks.

Fernando Consignado, 50, a volunteer reporter of "Ronda Puwersa" dzRV Radio Veritas, was shot dead inside his house in Barangay Abo here yesterday morning.

Police said Consignado was found with a gunshot wound in the head.

As this developed, President Arroyo ordered Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes to take over investigations on the increasing cases of murdered journalists.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the President has ordered Reyes to look into the recent murder of journalists with the same effort being exerted to contain the kidnap-for-ransom problem.

"If he (Reyes) can do it with kidnappers, he can do something about the killings," Bunye said.

Mrs. Arroyo issued the directive during a meeting with broadcast journalists yesterday shortly after the oath-taking of officers of the newly organized Kapisanan ng mga Komentarista ng Pilipinas (KKP) at Malacañang’s Heroes Hall.

Mrs. Arroyo has issued a series of directives to solve the murder cases involving journalists. Malacañang said a total of 56 journalists have been killed since 1986.

Just last week, Mrs. Arroyo ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to go after the assailants of dzRH and Bulgar correspondent Arnel Manalo, who was ambushed in Bauan, Batangas last Thursday.

The President also instructed the PNP to give protection to those seeking the help of the police especially those who think their lives are in grave danger.

Manalo was shot three times in the head and neck after dropping off his children at school. He was the second journalist slain in five days.

A week before the killing of Manalo, a radio broadcaster known for his hard-hitting commentaries was gunned down in Ilocos Norte.

On Sunday, radio reporter Jonathan Abayon was shot in the head by an ex-soldier in the General Santos City.

Consignado, on the other hand, was the second local broadcast journalist killed in Laguna, following Noel Villarante, a columnist of community paper Laguna Score and a commentator of local radio dzJB based in Calamba City, who was gunned down by unidentified men at his house on Aug. 19 last year.

The Radio Veritas provincial correspondent was the fourth journalist killed in two weeks in the country and the sixth this year.

Laguna provincial police director Senior Superintendent Edwin Corvera said their initial investigation showed Consignado was shot from behind by a man armed with a caliber .45 automatic.

Consignado was overheard by neighbors arguing with an unnamed relative shortly before his body was found.

The PNP said they are investigating all the cases to check if they were work-related.

The Philippines is considered as among the most dangerous places in the world for the working press, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

The spate of unsolved murders has forced the PNP to ease restrictions on issuing permits to carry firearms to journalists, triggering intense debate in a country where a proliferation of unlicensed guns is blamed for a rise in crime.

On the other hand, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) challenged the PNP to resolve all unsolved killings of media practitioners.

"Those cases have to be resolved. Journalists may have their faults but they also deserve protection and justice. All unresolved cases in their (PNP) hands‚ should be resolved," said NUJP secretary-general Carlos Conde.

Conde said Congress should also investigate the involvement of some from the military and police in the deaths of journalists.

Conde said the government should consider the issue as a matter of national concern.

"The killing of journalists in the Philippines should be raised as a national issue," Conde, correspondent for The New York Times, said.

"All these do violence to journalists and Philippine society in general. When media (are) oppressed, when (they are) literally under fire, it is society that is besieged. It was not too long ago that Filipinos lived this reality. It is not too much to ask we do not forget."

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao said the lack of witnesses was the primary reason why the police were able to solve only a few of the cases of murdered journalists since 1984.

Goltiao said their case files revealed 51 reported cases of journalists being killed. He said the PNP was able to solve only 14 of the cases due to the lack of material witnesses.

Goltiao pointed out that most of the journalists slain in the past 20 years were killed for personal reasons, not while performing their duties.

Last June, the President ordered the creation of a task force to solve the killings of mediamen. The task force is composed of select members of the PNP and the National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC).

Last year, Mrs. Arroyo offered a P1 million reward for those who can give information that could lead to the arrest of perpetrators of crimes against journalists. — With Marichu Villanueva, Mike Frialde, AFP