Elvis Banggoy Ordaniza, 49, a reporter for radio station dxWO Power99 FM in Pitogo, was killed by two bullets to the chest while preparing dinner at his home near the small town of Poblacion, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). Ordaniza was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival, NUJP reported. An early police report also said witnesses saw only one gunman, according to the organization.
Ordaniza reported on the illegal drug trade and illegal gambling, Ordaniza’s colleagues told journalists. As a younger man, he had been a member of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which has waged a low-intensity insurrection since 1969.
Police regional Chief Superintendent Miguel Antonio ordered a thorough investigation to determine the motive of the killing, but he “could not say” immediately that the killing was linked to Ordaniza’s work as a journalist, local media reported.
Neither NUJP nor the media support group Committee for Media Freedom and Responsibility have been able to determine the motive behind Ordaniza’s killing.
CPJ is investigating to determine whether his death was work-related.