RMN radio commentator shot dead in Roxas City

MANILA, Philippines – A radio commentator was shot and killed yesterday afternoon in Roxas City, just three days after his colleague was critically wounded in a similar attack.

Martin Roxas, 32, program director of Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), was shot dead by two armed men just minutes after leaving the station at around noon.

Roxas is the fourth journalist to be killed this year.

Task Force Usig chief Director Jefferson Soriano said Roxas died while undergoing treatment at the Capiz Emmanuel Hospital.

Soriano said two suspects – Jonnel Lastimoso of Roxas City and Christian Tan of Maayon, Capiz – were arrested during pursuit operations that also led to the recovery of the motorcycle which police said was used in the attack.

“The two are now under investigation,” Soriano told The STAR. “They will be subjected to paraffin test to determine if they recently fired guns.”

Initial investigation showed that the shooting took place at around 1 p.m. yesterday at Bayot Drive, Roxas City.

RMN radio station manager Ely Abarra said there was an apparent attempt on Roxas recently, when he was kicked from his motorcycle but he dismissed the incident, and had been taking precautions instead.

“This week, his topics touched on an ongoing political squabble involving two politicians,” Abarra said without elaborating.

Roxas’ ambush took place a few days after Dennis Cuesta, also of RMN, was attacked by still unidentified armed men. He remains in critical condition. He suffered gunshot wounds to the back of his left ear, on his shoulder and another to the foot.

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas (KBP) strongly condemned  the separate attacks on Roxas and Cuesta.

“This latest round of violence against the news media is even more reprehensible when we consider that both incidents have taken place within less than 72 hours of each other,” KBP president Maloli Espinosa said in a statement.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists and French group Reporters Without Borders have branded the Philippines the second most dangerous place for working journalists outside Iraq. Three journalists were killed last year while 12 were killed in 2006.    – Cecille Suerte Felipe