MANILA, Philippines -- Two international media groups challenged the Philippine government on Wednesday to step up its campaign to protect journalists following the shooting of General Santos broadcaster Dennis Cuesta by unidentified assailants.

“We call for an immediate investigation into this attempt on Cuesta's life, which follows a pattern that journalists in the Philippines know only too well,” said Elisabeth Witchel, Impunity Campaign Coordinator of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

“Journalists in the Philippines are frequently killed and assaulted with impunity, all for doing their jobs. In the past 10 years at least 25 journalists have been victims of premeditated murder in connection to their work,” Witchel said.

The France-based Reporters Without Borders urged authorities to “identify and punish urges the authorities to identify and punish those responsible for the shooting, which comes just a month after the murder of a journalist in Quezon province.”

Cuesta, 38, reporter for Radio Mindanao Network’s dxMD and host of the morning program “Straight to the point,” was on his way to the Gaisano Mall on Monday, August 4 when he was attacked by two motorcycle-riding gunmen around at 4:30 p.m.

Although doctors have already removed the three bullets, Cuesta, who was hit in the head, remained in critical condition.

“We urge the government to send a strong signal of its determination to protect the media by assigning additional resources to the [police] task force in charge of investigating attacks on journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said, referring to Task Force Usig, a special police unit created to probe the murders of activists and journalists.