Radio reporter shot dead in the Philippine island of Negros

More than 180 people who worked with or for media companies have been killed in the Philippines since 1986.

Philippines - journalist
According to a recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Philippines has the most unsolved journalist killing cases in the world [File: Rolex dela Pena/EPA]

A radio broadcaster from the central Philippines was shot dead by an unknown gunman on Thursday, according to news reports, becoming the latest journalist singled out in the country.

Dindo Generoso was driving his car on his way to host a radio programme in the city of Dumaguete in Negros Island when he was shot, killing him on the spot.

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Images posted on social media showed the driver’s side window of Generoso’s vehicle peppered with several bullet holes.

If the killing is work-related, Generoso would be the 14th journalist to be killed since President Rodrigo Duterte came to office in 2016, and the 187th since 1986.

Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s spokesman, said in a news conference that the president has directed authorities to investigate the incident and prosecute the people behind the deadly attack.

In a statement posted on social media, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines condemned the killing and demanded justice for Generoso.

Generoso, 67, was the second radio reporter killed in the city in 18 months.

In May 2018, Edmund Sestoso was also killed by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen.

On October 30, another radio broadcaster from the southern island of Mindanao survived an assassination attempt after being shot five times.

The Philippines is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists, according to Human Rights Watch.

According to a recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Philippines has the most unsolved journalist murder cases in the world.

Source: Al Jazeera