MINUTES after she was gunned down right inside her house in Bacoor, Cavite, on Sunday, April 6, 2014, our dear colleague, Rubie Garcia, managed to tell her son, Tristan, the name of Supt. Conrado Villanueva, as the “brains” behind the attack against her.
While we welcome the PNP’s immediate decision to form a ‘special investigation task group’ (SITG) that would directly report to Cavite provincial police director, Senior Supt. Joselito Esquivel, the NPC remains doubtful as to whether justice would be render to Rubie in the swiftest time possible—the main purpose for the formation of the SITG.
One, the SITG, in so many instances, whether probing the death of journalists or any other prominent personality, is never a guarantee that the culprits would be arrested and the brains unmasked before the “trail of the crime,” so to speak, turns cold.
Aggravating this suspicion is the dismal and horrifying record of the Aquino administration in solving media killings, which is NEAR ZERO.
Of the more than 20 journalists killed since Pres. Aquino was elected in 2010 with the “promise” to end the culture of impunity that mostly victimized members of the press, how many did it actually solved?
Indeed, even in the “shut and close” case such as the murder in 2012 of Puerto Princesa City broadcast journalist, ‘Doc Gerry Ortega, the principal suspects, the last time we heard, are having the best of times abroad, possibly in Canada or the United States.
Two, the naming of Supt. Villanueva, a ranking, fellow police officer of many in the SITG, has certainly added complexity to their investigation.
Will the SITG then “go hammer and tong” in solving Rubie’s case no matter who are involved? The credibility of the Cavite PNP, in particular, and the PNP in general, hinges on this case.
Like Rubie, many of us in the NPC “cut our milk teeth” as journalists in the police beat. And we know how the “system works” among fellow police officers. This is why we are now sceptical.
Nevertheless, the naming of Supt. Villanueva should also be an opportunity for him to clear his name.
As the number of dead journalists under the Aquino government continues to mount, solving the murder of Rubie should be seen as the “litmus test” in its commitment to solve media killings– at hindi ito palabas lang.
Otherwise, Pres. Aquino should not mind being called “Impunity King” with the worst record of media violence by any administration.
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