Miguel Belen, a reporter for radio dwEB in Nabua (in the eastern Philippines province of Camarines Sur), was seriously wounded in a shooting as he was returning to his home in Iriga on the evening of July 9. At least four shots were fired at him by two men on a motorcycle. Hospitalised and in a serious condition, he has been placed under police protection, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has reported.
Aged 48, Belen participated in the election campaign of a local politician who won a seat in the House of Representatives in the recent elections. The police said that Belen was threatened by rivals during the campaign and that they were therefore looking at the possibility that the shooting was politically motivated.
Belen is the fourth journalist to be the target of a serious attack in the past month. The three other victims were all shot dead: Desidario Camangyan of radio Sunshine FM on June 14, Joselito Agustin of DZJC Aksyon Radyo on June 15 and Nestor Bedolido of Kastigador on June 19.
Justice secretary Leila de Lima told National Press Club representatives on July 10 that orders have been given to create a “super body” to address attacks on journalists. It is not the first time the authorities have announced such an initiative. A special unit called Task Force 211 was created in 2007 with the aim of preventing and solving cases of political violence.
“This latest case of post-electoral violence against a journalist highlights the failure of the authorities to guarantee the safety of media personnel and the urgent need for the new president, Noynoy Aquino, to effectively combat the prevailing impunity for those who attack and kill journalists,” Paris-based RSF said. “The justice secretary’s recently announced plan for a new body to reinforce efforts to combat violence against journalists is encouraging, but the results, and the results alone, will determine whether it is an appropriate response,” it said.
