Top cop has no qualms about CPJ tag

By Ronilo L. Pamonag

The country's top cop does not disagree with the Committee to Protect Journalist statement that the Philippines is the world's ‘most murderous for journalists.'

“This could be true if the basis is statistics,” Director General Arturo Lomibao told local media during the opening of the First Gentleman's Cup Area Championship shootfest last Wednesday in Guimaras.

The New York-based group identified the Philippines as the most murderous country for journalists for five years already. War-torn Iraq, Colombia, Bangladesh and Russia follow in the list.

According to the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, a total of 66 journalists have been killed since 1986. Thirteen of these were shot last year. As of May this year, three have already been murdered, the latest of whom is Marlene Esperat of Midland Review.

She was killed Maundy Thursday in their home in Sultan Kudarat.

PROBLEMS

Lomibao said that the major stumbling block at efforts in solving the killings of journalists in the country is the lack of witnesses.

“The problem is there are no witnesses who are brave enough to come out,” he said. “If there are no witnesses, then we cannot prosecute…If we have nothing to investigate, then how can we proceed?”

This, he explained, is the nature of their investigation.

Witnesses who are willing to come out into the open but are afraid for their lives can avail of the government's witness protection program, Lomibao said.

“So they can come out, be protected and give their statements,” he stressed, adding that “we have to have witnesses so we can proceed with the investigation.”

WHY THE KILLINGS CONTINUE

The killings of media persons continue, according to Lomibao, because there are people who take the law into their own hands.

These people are usually those who have been offended by commentaries by journalists, he said.

We Filipinos usually value our honor, he observed.

“Sometimes, unfortunately, they take the law into their own hands,” Lomibao pointed out.