Philippine journalist who helped investigate Duterte’s drug war shot dead | Press Freedom News

A journalist who assisted in the investigation of the Reuters agency, which won the Pulitzer Prize for President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, has been shot dead. constant violence Against people working in the media in the Philippines.

According to a police report, Jesus “Jess” Malabanan was shot in the head on Wednesday evening while watching TV in Calbayog, a town in the central island of Samar.

A police report also said the attack was carried out by two unidentified assailants. They have not arrested him.

Malabanan was taken to a private hospital in the city, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Prior to his death, he was shown by data collected by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) At least 21 journalists have been killed in the country since Duterte took office as president in June 2016..

In October, network journalist and radio commentator Orlando Dinoy was killed inside his apartment in the southern region of Davao, in Duterte’s fortress. His alleged assailant was arrested and later charged with murder, but a government spokesman said Dinoy’s murder had nothing to do with his job.

In May, a politician turned journalist was killed in the central province of Capiz on the island of Panay.

Until the latest deadly attack on Wednesday, the New York Journalists Protection Commission said 87 media practitioners had been killed in duties in the Philippines since 1992, when data began to be collected worldwide.

The CPJ’s impunity index, released in late October, ranks the Philippines seventh in terms of killings of journalists worldwide.

Including the assassination of Malabanan, there have been 14 unsolved journalists in the country. Most of the killings took place in the provinces, where journalists have less protection than their colleagues in the capital Manila when they receive controversial news.

‘Shocking news’

As a freelance journalist, Malabanan contributed stories to various Philippine-based publications and the Reuters news agency.

In a social media post, journalist Manny Mogato, who was also a member of the Reuters group that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting, said Malabanan “helped Reuters a lot in the 2018 war stories that he won a Pulitzer Pulitzer.”

According to reports, Malabanan was threatened in his hometown of northern Pampanga, which is why he decided to move to Samara in the central Philippines.

“I joined the journalists in condemning the murder of Jess … it’s completely unacceptable. Justice for Jess,” Mogato added.

In #Oslo with @mariaressa, preparing @Nobel Award #NobelPeace Award events. It is known to be chilling that another journalist was killed on Wednesday night, December 8th #Philippines. The toll goes up.

Rest in power, “Jess” in the towel.

Through the details @TIRAMBULOTOPE; & see @nujp. https://t.co/iH1FSD3RQU

– Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC (@caoilfhionnanna) December 8, 2021

Reuter’s award-winning series of stories revealed “the brutal assassination campaign behind Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs,” according to Pulitzer’s quote. Reuters reports that Davao police have played a role in Manila’s deadly drug attacks, as well as the use of hospitals to cover up drug killings.

Duterte’s drug war, which has claimed thousands of suspected drug killers, is now over The subject of an investigation by the International Criminal Court.

In a statement, the Pampanga Press Club called on the authorities to “assist in a speedy investigation that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of this cowardly act for the sake of justice.”

The NUJP also released a statement in Malabanan’s “condemnation of senseless murder.”

Caoilfhionn Gallagher, an international human rights lawyer and journalist, said the news of the latest assassination was “chilling” as she was preparing for events in connection with the Nobel Peace Prize.

The award is being presented to Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitri Muratov on Friday.