San Pablo, Philippines, August 27, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the murder of journalist and broadcaster Sonny Alcantara in the city of San Pablo, south of Manila, and calls on the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation into the slaying. Alcantara, 51, was…
Manila, July 12, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about a case of mistaken identity that could jeopardize the safety of Philippine journalist Bernadette Tamayo, a veteran military correspondent with the People’s Journal newspaper. Military intelligence officials on the southern island of Mindanao have issued a “wanted poster” that mistakenly included a…
Manila, June 18, 2002—The family of slain Filipino broadcast journalist Edgar Damalerio said they are facing harassment and obstruction as they search for justice in the May 13 murder. They have traveled with a key witness to the crime to Manila from their home in the southern Philippines to present affidavits to senior police officials…
New York, May 23, 2002—A homemade bomb exploded yesterday morning at the entrance of Bombo Radyo station in Cagayan de Oro City, on the southern island of Mindanao, in the Philippines. According to local news reports, no one was injured in the attack. The bomb detonated at about 1:00 a.m. on May 22, causing superficial…
Journalists across Asia faced extraordinary pressures in 2001. Risks included reporting on war and insurgency, covering crime and corruption, or simply expressing a dissenting view in an authoritarian state. CPJ’s two most striking indices of press freedom are the annual toll of journalists killed around the world and our list of journalists imprisoned at the…
Despite a tumultuous political culture plagued by corruption, social unrest, poverty, and ethnic conflict, the Philippines steadfastly adheres to a tradition of free expression that makes it one of the most open societies in Asia. The constitution guarantees press freedom, and few government regulations control the print or broadcast media. The Philippine press proved stronger…
New York, February 12, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is concerned about reported threats to journalists from the Abu Sayyaf, an armed group active in the southern Philippines that American and Filipino officials have linked to the al-Qaeda network. More than 600 American troops arrived recently on the southern island of Basilan to help…
New York, January 3, 2002–A total of 37 journalists were killed worldwide as a direct result of their work in 2001, a sharp increase from 2000 when 24 were killed, according to CPJ research. At least 25 were murdered, almost all with impunity. The dramatic rise is mainly due to the war in Afghanistan, where…
New York, June 7, 2001 – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the bomb attack yesterday on DYHB Radio Station in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, and calls for a prompt and thorough investigation into the incident. DYHB is known for its hard-hitting reports on local crime and drug syndicates, according to the Manila-based Center…