Philippine broadcaster Godofredo Linao Jr., 49, was shot
in Barabo township, Surigao del Sur province, about 545 miles (875
kilometers) from the capital, Manila,
according to local press freedom groups and news reports.
Linao hosted a weekly public affairs program called “Straight
to the Point” on Radyo Natin, and worked as a disc jockey for
another radio station, the reports said. He went to Barabo in response to
a text message at around 1 a.m., according to the National Union of Journalists
of the Philippines,
which quoted Radyo Natin station manager Mario Alviso. The
journalist was getting on his motorcycle when two unidentified men fired at him
four times.
The motive for the murder was not clear. Task Force USIG, a
unit of the Philippines National Police dedicated to investigating media and
political murders, said it considered his radio broadcasts a possible motive in
the attack. Alviso said he received threatening text messages after Linao’s
murder, according to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR).
Linao, a “block-timer” who leased airtime from Radyo
Natin, was also a spokesman for provincial Vice Gov. Librado Navarro, according
to CMFR. Navarro was a sponsor of the radio program. The journalist’s wife told
CMFR that he had planned to run as a candidate in the 2010 provincial board
elections and had received threats while running for political posts in the
past.