Ismael Pasigna

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A gunman on a motorcycle shot Pasigna at around 6.30 a.m. in
the town of Labason, Zamboanga del Norte
province, Mindanao, according to local news
reports.

Pasigna was on his way to work as an anchor for a
government-funded broadcast, “South Express Balita” when the gunman fired at
close range, the reports said. He died at the scene from multiple gunshot
wounds.

Police and the local mayor said the killing was politically
motivated and related to an approaching local election, news reports said.
Pasigna was a member of the Alliance Party for Progress.

The broadcaster’s wife, Neneng, told the Center for
Media Freedom and Responsibility that she believed the killing was related to
discussions of political issues on the radio program. Pasigna had aired details
of a controversy related to a certificate of candidacy in local elections, she
told local journalists.

On January 18, 2010, a Labason court charged a suspect in
connection with the murder. No motive was immediately disclosed.