THE killing of Richard Najib, station manager of DXMN-FM in Tawi-Tawi is a humiliating sequel to President Benigno Aquino 3rd’s pathetic gaffe when he attempted to address the issue of media killings before local and international media recently.
Najib’s murder came barely a week after Mr. Aquino blabbered helplessly when asked to explain why media killings persist under his administration. This is a clear indication of lack of real concern or plain disregard for the deadly plight of Filipino journalists. He couldn’t even get his facts straight.
The killing of Najib, the second mediaman slain in Tawi-Tawi under Aquino, the other night also happened at a time when the family and colleagues of Remate correspondent Rubylita “Rubie” Garcia have yet to attain justice for her own killing. The Aquino government’s apparent apathy toward the unabated killing of journalists is a contributory factor to the culture of impunity that threatens press freedom.
Acts of intimidation against mediamen are an affront to press freedom. On the other hand, these killings are meant to silence us, a direct assault on our Constitutionally enshrined rights to protect democracy.
Journalist killers grow more brazen each day and as the list of the fallen swells, so must our resolve to put an end to these killings. Since he became president, we have yet to hear from President Aquino any strong directive to law enforcers and justice personnel to work doubly hard in addressing the problem.
Each death becomes part of government statistics, a main ingredient in the administration’s lip service.
As we mourn the passing of another brother in the profession, we warn Mr. Aquino that in the end, he will only have himself to blame for allowing media killings become a flourishing trade under his watch.
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