BELIEVE you me but not all media killings being reported in the Philippines are work-related. Although odd they may be, these murder cases should be investigated thoroughly and solved by authorities.

What is needed here is for the Aquino government to provide sufficient manpower and additional resources to the PNP Task Force Usig and the National Bureau of Investigation to help them investigate cases of murdered journalists and even pseudo-journalists and left-wing militants.

Journalists should also close ranks in keeping a tab on the progress of the case particularly when criminal charges are already filed in court to prevent the possibility that these cases will go naught due to technicalities, failure of witnesses to appear for various reasons and pressure from moneyed suspects.

I also see no need for the government to form crack teams that will look into the killings of media workers since we already have the PNP Task Force Usig.

What the government needs to do is to recruit more highly-trained Task Force Usig investigators who will devote their full time in investigating such crimes and tracking down the killers. The unit should be given adequate funds to fulfill its mandate and not rely on local territorial units and other PNP units like the CIDG which also have their own task to do including going after lawless elements like terrorists, robbers and kidnappers, violators of special laws and even insurgents.

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I fully commiserate with the family of Christopher Guarin who was gunned down Friday in General Santos City and join the entire Philippine media in calling for authorities to get his killers and find out their real motive. I’m also calling on the Aquino government to answer calls for genuine justice for the victims, whether their killing is work-related or not too.

However, I have been told that police investigators are eyeing possible ‘personal reasons’ as the motive of the gunmen who assassinated Guarin in front of his wife and 9-year old daughter last Friday.

Highly-reliable sources told me they are looking into the possibility that Guarin’s killing was connected to the death of Alfredo Velarde Jr. who was reported to be a reporter but turned out to be only a distributor of daily newspaper Brigada News Print when he was shot dead on November 11 last year.

An investigation showed that prior to his murder, Velarde’s newspaper was regularly printing the tips on the ‘Last 2,’ an illegal lottery game in Mindanao. Guarin was among those investigated in connection with Velarde’s death although he was not charged.

Eventually, the ‘Last 2’ tips appeared on Guarin’s paper, sources said as they speculated that it could have earned the ire of some individuals who eventually ordered Guarin’s killing.

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PNP chief, General Nick Bartolome, a former PNP spokesman who is very well-known to the media, both local and foreign, told me he has ordered the creation of Special Investigation Task Group Guarin to investigate the killing and lead the hunt for the assassins. The investigation is being led by Central Mindanao police director, Chief Superintendent Ben Mantele, a classmate at the PMA Class 1980 of Gen. Bartolome.               

Guarin became the first member of the Philippine media to be killed at the start of the year. Last year, the PNP Task Force Usig headed by Chief Supt. Samuel Diciano said they recorded three cases of work-related media killings, all of which have been thoroughly investigated resulting  in the arrest of two suspects and the surrender of three others.  

Most infamous of the three cases was the assassination of Gerardo Ortega, a hard-hitting commentator of RMN-Palawan who was shot dead on January 24, 2011 in Barangay San Pedro, Puerto Princesa City. Ortega’s killing was traced to his stinging commentaries in his radio program on various domestic issues in Palawan including the issues of illegal mining and the equitable share for Palawan in the Malampaya Gas Project, Diciano said.

After a thorough investigation, the Special Investigation Task Group Ortega charged with murder 11 suspects namely Marlon Recamata, the alleged gunman who was arrested shortly after the shooting, former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes, former Marinduque Gov. Jose Antonio Carreon,  Coron, Palawan Mayor Mario Reyes , Valentine Lecias, Attorney Romeo Seratubias Jr., Arturo Regalado, Armando Noel , Dennis Aranas, Rodolfo Edrad Jr. and  Arwin Arandia. Aranas was arrested on January 28, 2011 while Edrad and Noel surrendered respectively
last February 5 and 10.

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However, the Department of Justice last June 8 dismissed the case against ex-Governors Reyes and Carreon, Mayor Reyes, Atty. Seratubias, Lecias and Regalado but found probable cause against Aranas, Noel, Edrad and Arandia. DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima last September 11 also ordered a re-investigation of this case.

At present, the case of murder filed against Mr. Recamata is undergoing trial at the Puerto Princesa City Regional Trial Court Branch 52 docketed under Criminal Case No.25727.

On the other hand, the case of murder filed against other respondents in the Ortega case is currently undergoing preliminary investigation.

Diciano said the two other cases are that of Romeo Olea and Jhonson Pascual.

Olea, a reporter/anchorman of DWEB-FM was killed on June 13, 2011 in Iriga City, Camarines Sur by two unidentified motorcycle-riding assassins who managed to escape.Diciano said the killing of Olea which is believed to have been triggered by his hard-hitting commentaries against local politics is still undergoing investigation.

On the other hand, the murder in Alicia, Isabela on October 8, 2011  of Pascual, a manager of First Isabela Cooperative Bank, Editor-in-Chief/Columnist of the defunct Prime News local newspaper and a Contributor to the Northeastern Journal in Isabela has been traced to his possible exposes’ in his column against  some local government units. Diciano said the case is still under investigation.         (To be continued)