Duterte turns down justice for slain journalist

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Though he knows who the suspect is, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night said it would be a “useless exercise” to investigate the 2003 murder of slain journalist Juan “Jun” Pala now that he is the country’s next president.

In a late press conference Thursday, Duterte again led his tirade against irresponsible journalism and corrupt reporters who extort money from politicians, citing as an example Pala, who was killed by unidentified gunmen in Davao City on Sept. 6, 2003.

Pala was gunned down on his way home in Empress Subdivision accompanied by his brother and cousin-bodyguard. Pala, 49, died of nine gunshot wounds in the head and chest, according to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility.

Duterte said Pala was a reporter who would extort money from personalities in the course of his profession as a hard-hitting radio broadcaster.

“Pala was a criminal through and through. Extortion lahat, may rape pa ang gago (That foolish guy is involved in extortion and rape). Eventually mamamatay din talaga yan (Eventually he would really die). However, you defend him in thy name journalism,” Duterte said.

Duterte had admitted though that he knows the mastermind of Pala’s killing, adding that he was summoned by the mastermind who broke down because the latter’s reputation was smeared (“binaboy”) by Pala in his fearless radio broadcasts.

Asked if he would use his powers as president to hold the suspect accountable, Duterte said it would be a waste of time.

“I have the suspect, umiyak ung tao (sa harap namin) (that person cried in front of us), there were four of us on the table that night. Nakita naming iyak nang iyak (We saw him crying), what can iyak (weeping) do to connect him (to the murder)?” Duterte said.

“Useless exercise,” he added.

Before his death, Pala was the host of the radio show “Isumbong mo kay Pala” over dxGO radio station and was known for his criticisms of politicians, including then Mayor Duterte.

Pala usually started his radio show with the opening spiel: “This is Jun Porras Pala, who remains the voice of democracy in the Duterte reign of terror. Maayong buntag (Good morning!).”

There were three attempts on his life, the second attempt was an assault on a taxi he was riding in April 2003. Pala tagged Duterte as the one who wanted him dead, according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report on Sept. 8, 2003.

The Inquirer report quoted Duterte as saying: “If I was the one who did it, he would have been dead already.”

Pala, known for his anti-communist sentiments in the 1980s, also served as spokesperson for the anti-communist group Alsa Masa, according to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility.

A former ally of Duterte, Pala served as Davao City councilor in 1998. He ran as the vice mayor of mayoral candidate Benjamin De Guzman, who eventually lost to Duterte in 2001. Duterte’s friendship with Pala had turned sour since then.

In the press conference Thursday, Duterte said it was not like him to order assassins to kill a person, adding that if he had his way he would have been the one to have dared Pala in a gunfight.

“He made me popular, made me mayor for almost 9 terms, why would I want him dead? He was yakking (about me) but people knew he was a criminal,” Duterte said of Pala.

“I am the guy who will not send anybody to kill you. To ambush (somebody), that is not my style. Everybody in Davao knows I always challenge them [in] a gunfight,” Duterte said.

In his earlier press conference last Tuesday night, Duterte first led his tirade against irresponsible journalism, even justifying the killings of journalists who were corrupt that they deserved it.

READ: Duterte: Media corruption root cause of journalists’ killings

He gave as an example Pala, who he said deserved to die because he was a “rotten son of a b****.”

READ: ‘Don’t fuck with me,’ he tells media

Duterte later told media not to “f*** with him” and dared them to boycott covering him as the country’s next president. RAM

READ: Duterte dares media: Boycott me!