CHR starts probe into killing of journo in Davao del Sur
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights has started its independent investigation into the slaying of a journalist in Davao del Sur, as the watchdog noted the string of unresolved killings in the country.
The CHR said Tuesday that it has already dispatched a team to look into the brazen slaying of Orlando “Dondon” Dinoy who was killed in his makeshift broadcast area in his rented house in Bansalan town on Saturday evening.
Police reported that Dinoy, a reporter for online outfit Newsline Philippines and anchor for Energy FM, was shot six times.
CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said that based on the initial report, circumstantial evidence points that the crime is premeditated. “Currently, no motive for his killing has been established, but due to the nature of the crime and profession of the victim, CHR will be looking closely into his line of work and his previous contacts,” she added.
De Guia also noted that Dinoy’s killing happened days before the world commemorates the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2.
“Killings perpetrated against the media fosters a chilling effect and helps breed a climate of impunity. A silenced media hampers the free flow of information and deprives the Filipino citizenry of much-needed information critical for discernment of national affair,” she added.
“There is impunity when there is no accountability for crimes committed,” De Guia noted.
The spokesperson said the commission has also been conducting probe into the killing radio commentator Rey Cortes and lawyer Hilda Mahinay-Sape and her husband Muhaimen Mohammad Sapie in July.
Months later, the cases remain unresolved, De Guia said.
“We are hopeful that with the quick assembly of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security those responsible for this crime will be held to account. CHR for its part will continue to work with local authorities in investigating all potential leads,” she added.
Philippines maintains rank in global impunity index
Dinoy was the 21st journalist killed since President Rodrigo Duterte took power in 2016, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said.
In a report this month, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists listed the Philippines at seventh place in its Global Impunity Index, with 13 murders of journalists still unsolved.
The nation has been a mainstay in the annual index since it started in 2008. — with reports from Agence France Presse
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