PNP News Releases 2005

PNP ASSURES PRIORITY ACTION FOR CASES OF SLAIN JOURNALISTS  

The Philippine National Police today assured members of media that all efforts are being done to find and arrest perpetrators of killings involving members of the working media.

PNP Chief, Director General Hermogenes E Ebdane Jr. has earlier created Task Force Newsman, spearheaded by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to handle all unsolved cases of slain journalists.

A dialogue was held this morning in Camp Crame among the PNP and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

The dialogue is among the initial steps taken by the PNP to find other viable avenues to speed-up the investigation and possible prosecution of at least 49 cases of slain journalists since 1984, including the most recent incidents in different parts of the country.

Deputy Director General Edgar B Aglipay, PNP Deputy Chief for Administration told newsmen that all City and Municipal Police Stations have been ordered to conduct a threat assessment on practicing journalists in their areas and to provide appropriate security measures for those under imminent threat.

During the dialogue, Aglipay sought the full cooperation and support of the NUJP in case build-up efforts to insure air-tight prosecution of suspects.

“We do not have the monopoly of knowledge in solving all these cases that is why we called for this dialogue,” Aglipay said.

For her part, NUJP President, Inday Espina-Varona cited the case of slain Pagadian City broadcaster Edgar Demalerio, whose suspected killer, Guillermo Wapile remains at-large.

The NUJP cited this particular incident with special concern as a pilot case to test the government's resolve to find solution to the cases of slain journalists.

A special team from Task Force Newsman will be sent to Mindanao to coordinate all efforts by local PNP Units to arrest Wapile.