23-10-2024 (MANILA) In a troubling development that underscores ongoing concerns about press freedom in the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s office has issued an urgent call for a thorough investigation into the murder of broadcast journalist Maria Vilma Rodriguez, who was fatally shot in Zamboanga City on Sunday.
Rodriguez, 56, a mother of four and local community leader, was gunned down outside a shop near her residence. The brutal attack, which saw the victim shot three times, has drawn widespread condemnation from government officials and media organisations alike.
The Presidential Communications Office released a strongly worded statement on Monday, denouncing the killing as “barbaric” and emphasising that such violence has no place in a democratic society. “Our nation, which holds dear the principles of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, cannot tolerate these despicable acts,” the statement declared.
Police authorities have reported a breakthrough in the case with an arrest made on Monday, according to Zamboanga City police official Kimberly Molitas. While the suspect’s identity remains undisclosed, investigators are exploring the possibility of a family dispute as the primary motive.
The incident marks the fifth journalist killing since President Marcos assumed office in June 2022, adding to a disturbing pattern of violence against media practitioners in the country. Despite boasting one of Asia’s most liberal media environments, the Philippines continues to rank among the world’s most perilous countries for journalists, particularly in provincial areas.
Statistics from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) paint a grim picture, with 200 journalists killed since the restoration of democracy in 1986. This figure includes the notorious 2009 massacre that claimed 32 media workers’ lives in a single incident.
The NUJP has issued a forceful statement on social media, demanding a comprehensive investigation: “The Zamboanga City police must delve deeper. We cannot afford another unresolved case that merely becomes a statistic.”
