The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has condemned the murder of a radio broadcaster in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental.
In a statement the CHR called for a swift investigation into the killing, especially amid challenges to press freedom in the country.
“These violen[t] and similar attacks to journalists signify an erosion of free press and undermining of democracy. We cannot stress enough our strong condemnation [of the]…violence and harassment…that send[s] a chilling effect and cultivate[s] a culture of fear and silence among media workers,” CHR Spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia said.
Amid shutdown
Rex Cornelio, a news reporter and announcer of DYMD Energy 93.7 FM was shot and killed in Barangay Daro, Dumaguete City, Tuesday, the same day the National Telecommunications Commission ordered broadcast giant ABS-CBN to shut down. Cornelio is the third radio broadcaster to be killed in Dumaguete since 2018
According to the CHR, since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in June 2016, there have been 154 media attacks and assaults.
“Journalists deserve utmost protection for they fuel our democracy. Without the information, education, and truth-probing enabled by a free press, other freedoms we enjoy may be in peril,” De Guia said.
The CHR also said it will conduct its own investigation.