Police hint attack work-related

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines -- Doctors at a private hospital here have succeeded in removing the bullet that lodged in the brain of broadcaster Dennis Cuesta when he was shot by unidentified men on Monday.

But Cuesta's surgeon, Dr. Orlando Mirabueno, said the broadcaster remains in critical condition at the hospital's intensive care unit.

Police hinted that the attack on the broadcaster was job related while his wife, Gloria, confirmed that Cuesta had been receiving death threats before the attack.

Colleagues also said Cuesta is known for his aggressive commentaries on issues such as illegal gambling, government corruption and drugs.

Local and international media organizations have condemned the attack on the journalist.

Cueta, 38, was on his way to the Gaisano Mall here with his friend, Davao City-based broadcaster Bobby Flores, when he was attacked by two motorcycle-riding gunmen around 4:30 p.m.

He had just come from Sarangani province with some colleagues from Radio Mindanao Network’s dxMD, where he is a reporter and anchor of the morning program "Straight to the point."

He was hit three times -- in the upper right said of the head, in the back and in the left shoulder.

The assailants, who used .45 caliber pistols, fled as Cuesta slumped to the ground.

Senior Superintendent Robert Po, city police director, told reporters Cuesta stood as a witness of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in a controversial land case involving an influential person with businesses here and in Davao City.

He said the broadcaster had also tackled the case during his radio program.

"It came out in our initial investigation that Cuesta has been asked by one of the parties involved in the case to stop his harsh commentaries. We are focusing on this angle kasi ito lang yong pinakamalaking issue na meron siyang nakabangga na malaking tao [this is the biggest issue in which he came up against a prominent person]," Po said.

Po said the same threats that Gloria confirmed could have prompted Cuesta to ask protection from the CIDG. He said the broadcaster had become suspicious after he noticed unidentified men tailing him.

The police chief said the CIDG provided help to Cuesta and even took him in as an "asset" to justify the issuance of a memorandum receipt (MR) and mission order (MO) for a firearm.

"But, maybe, the issuance of MR and MO was still under process as Cuesta was not carrying a firearm when shot at by two unidentified suspects," he said.

Po said the police have also taken additional measures to secure Cuesta by deploying security at the hospital, where he is being treated.

Gloria also urged the police to dig deeper to determine the identity of the mastermind and motive.

Inspector Lauro Espida, chief of the Lagao Police station, said they expect to come out with the artist’s sketch of the assailants.

Chief Superintendent Felizardo Serapio, Central Mindanao police director, said a special task force has been created to speed up the investigation.

Task Force Cuesta is composed of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division (RIDMD), Regional Intelligence Division (RID) and Public Information Office.

Cuesta is the second broadcaster attacked here since 2005.

That year, motorcycle-riding suspects shot and killed Dodong Rosales, host of a block-time program over dxMD.

In Digos City, where Cuesta lives, journalists joined colleagues from General Santos City in condemning the attack on the broadcaster.

The Tri-Media Association of Davao del Sur (Trimads) and the Davao del Sur PNP Press Corps also urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

The two groups also called on possible witnesses to come forward and provide any information that could speed up the investigation.

"We could not be intimidated by such cowardly act of trying to eliminate our colleagues in the media profession. We remain firm in pursuing our quest for justice and fairness even if this would cost our lives," Trimads said in a statement.

The attack on Cuesta was condemned by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), which noted that the incident came little more than a month after gunmen shot and killed Bert Sison, a reporter for a community newspaper in Quezon province. Sison's daughter, who is also a journalist, was wounded in the attack.

Sison was the third journalist to be slain in the Philippines this year.

Joining its affiliate in condemning the attack on Cuesta, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a statement echoed the NUJP’s demand for an immediate investigation into the incident and the arrest of the perpetrators.

"As Cuesta fights for his life, this attack is a chilling reminder of the culture of impunity for those who would attack the Philippines media," said the IFJ Asia-Pacific in a statement.

"The Philippines authorities must fulfill their responsibility to protect each and every person from such violence. The fact that journalists continue to be targeted is a clear indication that the authorities' actions or lack of actions are not delivering the message of zero tolerance," it said.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists and French group Reporters Without Borders have both branded the Philippines the second most dangerous place for working journalists outside of Iraq.

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