Four Years on, Mastermind of Esperat Murder Still Out There

On March 24, 2005, gunmen barged into the home of Marlene Esperat in Tacurong City,

Sultan Kudarat, and shot her in the head as she sat down to dinner
with her children, including a then 10-year-old son.

Esperat’s murder was singular in its brutality and brazenness.

It also highlighted not just the extent those who thrive in the
darkness would go to keep the light of truth from shining on their
nefarious deeds but also the impunity with which they are able to do
so.

An impunity that has, and continues to be, nurtured by the inaction
and apathy government has generally shown towards the murder of
journalists.

The statistics should be enough to indict any government and its
claims of being a democracy – 100 killed since1986, 64 of them under
this administration alone.

While the case filed over the Esperat murder is one of a handful that
has resulted in convictions, only the men who pulled the trigger have
been punished. It is well worth pointing out that the relentless vigil
media kept to ensure the case would not end up a travesty played a
major role in the conviction of Esperat’s killers.

The alleged masterminds, who have been identified as regional
executives of the Department of Agriculture, remain free. Worse, they
have been allowed to resort to legal maneuvers that have prevented
their arrest and prosecution, with at least one reportedly able to
flee the country.

It is a trend we have seen in the cases that have reached conviction,
like Pagadian journalist Edgar Damalerio. The killer, the policeman
Guillermo Wapile, is behind bars but the mastermind is still out there.

As we mark the fourth anniversary of Esperat’s murder, we call on
government, on the courts, on law enforcement agencies, to do their
sworn duty and give justice to her family by prosecuting and
convicting the masterminds.

We demand that government go beyond lip service and token gestures and
work to solve not just the Esperat but all the 100 journalists’
murders since 1986.

We call on the independent Philippine press to remain vigilant but
unwavering in our commitment to seeing that our slain colleagues shall
not have died in vain. Let us also continue to oppose any attempts to
curtail freedom of the press and expression and prevent us from
serving the people’s right to know.

We call on the Filipino people, the public whom we serve, to stand by
us and demand justice for Marlene Esperat and all the other seekers
and harbingers of truth whose voices have been silenced.

Reference:
Nonoy Espina
Vice Chairperson

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