PHILIPPINES

NOVEMBER 20, 2005
Posted: December 2, 2005

Robert Ramos, Katapat
KILLED—UNCONFIRMED

Ramos, 39, a reporter for the weekly tabloid, was shot twice in the head outside a market in Cabuyao, Laguna province, 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of the capital, Manila. Ramos was waiting for a ride home from work when two motorcycle-riding assailants shot him, according to police reports cited in the local media. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

On December 1, police identified two brothers as suspects in the murder. Police said the suspects believed the reporter had tipped off authorities that they sold pirated DVDs and CDs from a shop in Cabuyao. Authorities had raided the shop and confiscated merchandise on November 17. It was not immediately clear whether Ramos worked on a story connected to pirated merchandise.