Binungcal, a correspondent for two national Manila-based tabloids,
Remate and Bulgar, was killed while riding home on his
motorcycle in Bataan Province, in the central Luzon Region. Unidentified
gunmen fired five shots at close range, according to local and international
news reports.
Local journalists said his murder came in retaliation for his reporting
on corrupt provincial police. Sources told CPJ that the murder may
have been committed on the orders of local police officers who lost
their jobs as a result of Binungcal’s reporting
Binungcal was a businessman in addition to working as a journalist,
but he was well-known for his reporting on corrupt officials. He was
also the former editor of the local Mt. Samat Weekly Forum.