British firm funds scholarships for slain scribes’ kids

BAGUIO CITY — Mabey & Johnson Ltd., a British company doing business in the country, is joining hands with Kasangga at Gabay Foundation Inc. and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) to provide scholarships for the children of Filipino journalists slain for their work.

NUJP chairwoman Inday Espina-Varona signed yesterday a memorandum of agreement with representatives of Kasangga at Gabay Foundation and Mabey & Johnson Ltd.

The scholarship program will be implemented through the Bevil Mabey Study Foundation, a civic and charitable arm of Mabey & Johnson, Varona said.

The Bevil Mabey Study Foundation will make available an initial P2 million with Kasangga as conduit. The NUJP will manage the five-year program.

The Bevil Mabey Study Foundation has an existing educational project in the country that provides reference materials to over 30 rural schools every year.

The NUJP, with the approval of Bevil and Mabey through Kasangga, will draw up the implementing guidelines of the scholarship program, Varona said.

At least 66 Filipino journalists have been slain since 1986. Most of the killings have remained unsolved.

Varona lamented that most of the slain journalists were principal breadwinners and "their demise left their children without support for schooling."

The latest victim was Dipolog City broadcaster Klein Cantoneros who was attacked at dawn Wednesday outside local radio station dxAA.

Cantoneros died at the hospital several hours after unidentified men armed with caliber .45 pistols pumped seven bullets into his body.

Three others, Marlene Esperat, a crusading journalist from Sultan Kudarat, Edgar Amoro and Arnulfo Villanueva, were killed during the first quarter.