Bacolod journalist tailed by 'suspicious motorcycle rider'

MANILA, Philippines — A Bacolod City-based journalist on Sunday afternoon was tailed by a a man on a motorcycle on Sunday afternoon while on the way home from covering the killings in Negros Oriental province, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in an alert.

NUJP said Marchel Espina, chairperson of its Bacolod chapter and a correspondent for Rappler, was heading home from Canlaon City in a rental car when her driver alerted her to "a suspicious motorcycle rider" following them.

She described the rider as being "of medium build and [wearing] a bonnet concealing his face, a black jacket and pants, and with a backpack," NUJP said.

Espina said the motorcycle rider "trailed them for almost 18 kilometers, from (barangays) Biaknabato to Taburda, in La Castellana town."

She said her driver told her that he had blocked an attempt by the motorcycle rider to overtake their car before "[driving] as fast as he could until they finally lost the tail."

A string of killings in Negros Oriental province since late July has left at least 21 people dead, with many of the victims reportedly killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen.

Duterte hints at 'drastic' measures

President Rodrigo Duterte has hinted at taking at drastic measures to address the killings.

"It will not sit well with everybody, maybe including you. But it is needed," the president told members of the Bureau of Fire Protection last week in a speech marking the anniversary of the firefighting service.

Defend Negros Movement, a group of Manila-based Negrenses, said last week that what province needs are justice and peace, not martial law.

“Heed our appeal: do not use our inconsolable grief to impose yet another brutal state policy that would later on put more lives in peril,” the group said, noting any militarist solution will not solve the situation in the province.

“We say NO to martial law in Negros. We have witnessed what happened in Mindanao after the declaration of martial law in 2017. In the aftermath, we saw Marawi in irreparable ruins and the entire Mindanao island and its people gripped under repressive rule and fear,” Defend Negros Movement said.

Before the killings in July, 14 people were killed in law enforcement operations across Negros Oriental on March 30.

Personnel of the Negros Oriental police and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, who conducted the operations, said the suspects resisted arrest and opened fire when served warrants for various charges.

A fact-finding mission by farmers' and human rights groups alleged that those killed were just farmers and that the arrests were marked with irregularities.

PNP: Situation under control

The Philippine National Police last week assured the public that "the peace and order situation in Negros Oriental is under control."  Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, said police units in the province are on full alert "to prevent occurence of crimes."

More than 300 commandos of the elite police Special Action Force have been deployed to Negros Island in response to the killings and to the alleged torture and killing of four police intelligence operatives at the hands of communist rebels.

The New People's Army has denied torturing the four police officers but have taken responsibility for their deaths, saying the four had died in an ambush.

The police on Saturday arrested two alleged members of the NPA suspected of involvement in the deaths of the four police officers.