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Yet another journalist killed in the Philippines

30 July 2009 15:09 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A journalist was killed in the Philippines. According to APA, radio journalist Godofredo Linao was gunned down in Barobo City, the Philippines on July 27, the International Press Institute (IPI) told the International Eurasia Press Fund. Linaoâ€™s murder brings the number of journalists killed in the Philippines this year to four, further entrenching the countryâ€™s position as one of Asiaâ€™s deadliest for reporters. Linao was the host of a weekly current affairs broadcast on Bislig Cityâ€™s Radyo Nitin that often focused on corruption at local government level.
â€œWe urge the Filipino authorities to act swiftly to bring those responsible for these horrifying killings to justice,â€ said IPI Director David Dadge. â€œPresident Arroyoâ€™s government must address the countryâ€™s shameful climate of impunity, and ensure that journalists are free to work without fearing for their lives.â€
This killing follows a recent spate of murders of journalists in the country. On June 9, Crispin Perez, also a radio journalist, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in front of his home in San Jose City. On June 12 Antonio Castillo, a columnist for the tabloid Bigwas, was shot at close range by two men on a motorcycle after a brief chase in the town of Uson. And on June 27 Jonathan Petalvero, a radio host on DXFM station, was shot dead by a masked gunman at a restaurant in the town of Bayugan on Mindanao Island.