A Bloody Milestone: 100 Journalists Killed in the Philippines since 1986

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March 17, 2010 Manila, Philippines

PUBLISHED ON March 13, 2009 AT 12:03 PM ·

February 23, 2009 should be remembered as a milestone, albeit not a happy one, in the recent history of the Philippine press.

On that day, Ernesto Rollin of Oroquieta City became the 100th journalist to be killed in the Philippines since 1986, when we were supposed to have regained our democracy.

100 deaths, meant to silence men and women whose calling was to serve the people’s right to know; 100 deaths that expose as a mockery government’s claims to being a democracy.

100 deaths that, at the same time, are a testament to the determination of the members of the independent Philippine press, who continue performing their duties despite all the attempts to stifle them, including through the ultimate censorship.

In a democracy, life is held sacred and rights inviolable. In a democracy, free expression and opinion, including or, rather, especially the contrary, are valued. For it is in the arena of free discourse that democracy thrives.

And surely a democracy would never suppress the truth.

Unfortunately, aside from the regular lip service it pays, and the predictable creation of mostly useless task forces, government has done practically nothing to stop the killings and other assaults on journalists and bring the perpetrators, including masterminds, to justice.

Especially not this administration.

Not only have more than half the murders – 64 of 100 – happened during its watch, this administration is the only one since the unlamented Marcos dictatorship, that has actually attempted the wholesale muzzling of the press, as it did with its threats of takeover during the short-lived state of national emergency in 2006.

More often than not, when reminded that its inaction and apathy to the killings is akin to tacit approval of these atrocities, this administration has often resorted to blaming a lack of ethics and professionalism among journalists, as if these justified the loss of lives and government’s failure to protect its citizens.

And it is only in this administration that a presidential spouse has deigned to undertake his own large-scale harassment of the press by filing multiple libel cases against more than 40 journalists without a peep from the chief executive.

We continue to mourn our 100 fallen colleagues, deprived of justice, even as we hail them as martyrs to our continuing struggle for genuine freedom of the press and expression.

We vow that their deaths shall not be in vain, that we who remain shall not waver, in the face of continued threats and assaults and government’s failure or refusal to protect its citizenry, in our duty to deliver to our audiences the information so crucial to shaping their individual and collective future.

Let us remember the fallen 100:

1986 (3)
Pete F. Mabazza
Manila Bulletin
1986 – April 24

Wilfredo “Willy” Vicoy
Reuters
1986 – April 24

Florante “Boy” de Castro
DXCP/General Santos City
1986

1987 (6)
Dionisio Perpetuo Joaquin
Olongapo News
1987 – April 12

Narciso Balani
DXRA / Davao City
1987 – Aug. 27

Rogie Zagado
DXRA / Davao City
1987 – Aug. 27

Leo Palo
DXRA / Davao City
1987 – Aug. 27

Martin Castor
Pilipino Ngayon
1987 – Aug. 28

Ramon Noblejas
DYVL/Tacloban City
1987 – Aug. 28

1988 (3)
Noel Miranda
Mindanao Scanner
1988 – March 29

Ruben R. Manrique
Luzon Tribune/Bataan
1988 – Aug. 12