Journalist Shot Dead In The Philippines

Media Release: Philippines

November 9, 2012

Journalist Shot Dead In The Philippines

The International Federation of Journalists joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in strongly condemning the killing of another radio reporter in the Philippines, and calls for an immediate investigation into the shooting.

According to NUJP reports, an unidentified man shot and killed radio reporter-broadcaster Julius Cauzo, 51, on the morning of Thursday, November 8. Cauzo was a reporter and anchor for radio station dwJJ in Cabanatuan City which is owned by City Mayor Jay Vergara.

According to Cabanatuan City police Chief Supt. Eli Depra report, Cauzo was driving his motorcycle at 8:38 a.m., when a gunman also riding a motorcycle, fired shots at him. Cauzo sustained three gunshot wounds to the chest and was rushed to the Nueva Ecija Good Samaritan Hospital. He was pronounced dead upon arrival. The gunman immediately fled the scene.

Police have yet to determine if the killing is related to Cauzo’s work, which would make Cauzo the 14th journalist killed in the line of duty under President Benigno Aquino III’s watch, and the fifth in 2012.

According to reports in local newspaper the Philippine Star, a colleague of Cauzo claimed that Cauzo had received death threats prior to his murder.

The incident took place just weeks out from the third anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre, and the International Day to End Impunity, which will be commemorated on November 23, and follows a spate of attacks and threats made against radio broadcasters.

On September 14 shots were fired at radio dyOW-Bombo Radyo Roxas City broadcast centre in Roxas City; on September 23 Ramil Marianito a commentator from Wow Radio in Sorsogon City was shot by two unidentified men on motorbikes; on May 8 Nestor Libaton, a reporter for radio station DXHM, was shot and killed by gunmen in Mati City, in the southern Philippines; on March 3, radio broadcaster Fernando “Kapid” Gabio, was shot by two unidentified men on a motorcycle in the Southern Philippines. And on June 18, two commentators from the RMN-dxBC 693 AM radio station based in Butuan City received death threats.

“We are deeply concerned by the series of shootings and threats which highlights the extreme dangers journalists in the Philippines face. The IFJ joins the NUJP in calling on the government of the Philippines to immediately launch an independent investigation into this most recent shooting, bring the perpetrators to justice and to break the cycle of violence and impunity. ” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific

Find the IFJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific

ENDS

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