Broadcaster survives slay try in Cagayan de Oro

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Unidentified assailants shot and seriously wounded a broadcaster here on Thursday evening – one day after the observance of International Day Against Impunity – while he was driving home from work.

The National Union of the Philippines said Michael James Licuanan of Bombo Radyo Cagayan de Oro was nearing the Cogon market here around 9:30 p.m. when he was fired at by one of two men on a motorcycle.

The first shot missed Licuanan, an NUJP alert said, but caused him to crash his motorcycle.

One of the armed men got off and fired at the broadcaster, who was trying to escape, and hit him on the left buttock. The bullet exited through his abdomen, the NUJP report said.

“Both men were wearing full-face helmets and black jackets and had been tailing Licuanan,” the NUJP said.

According to information provided by the station’s security guard, the armed men had been seen outside the radio station hours before the incident.

Senior Inspector Elmer Robas, station commander of the Cogon Police Precinct, said despite being hit, Licuanan was able to run to a nearby fire station where he was able to ask for help.

Police sent to the area later recovered two empty shells fired from a .45 caliber pistol.

Licuanan was taken to a hospital where he underwent what an NUJP bulletin described as a successful operation.

Celso Maldecir, Bombo Radyo Cagayan de Oro City station manager, said Licuanan had been commenting and reporting on the arrest of a Sammy Yusop by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents.

Yusop was arrested on the parking lot of a mall here after claiming a package of shabu sent through a popular courier company.

PDEA agents seized from him 1.5 kilograms of the illegal drugs with an estimated street value of  P15 million.

Licuanan was the ninth journalist attacked in the Philippines this year.

In Davao City, Jessie Casalda, NUJP-Davao region chair, said the risks faced by media practitioners in the country were a testament to the culture of impunity.

“This monster is cloaked by an inefficient and largely discriminatory justice system against the powerless. This monster feeds on a system that breeds warlords, who ride roughshod over the rights of ordinary people and would not hesitate to strike out at anyone who dares go against their wicked ways,” he said.

As natural consequence, NUJP said, any media practitioner who just does the job religiously becomes easy prey.

“While we are confronted with a low conviction rate of perpetrators of these journalist killings and attacks, we continue to see one colleague fallen after another, if not subjected to harassments of various forms – either receiving death threats, their radio stations or media offices attacked, their houses lobbed grenades, ambushed, if not, being unduly held by men in uniforms during coverage,” Casalda said. With reports from Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao; Radyo Inquirer 990AM