General Santos City. January 6, 2012.
-
A radio broadcaster was shot dead in GenSan as he drove his car with his wife, son and daughter. He was the 150th journalist killed in the Philippines since democracy was restored by Cory Aquino in 1986.
According to police reports, the motive was personal and is traceable to what has been published in Tatak, a local tabloid where Christopher Guarin was the Editor-in-Chief. Guarin is also a popular broadcast journalist of Radio Mindanao Network.
Wounded in the first burst of gunfire, Christopher Guarin jumped out of his car, apparently to spare his wife and children from being hit. However, he did not get very far because the gunmen who were riding a motorcycle turned around and again shot him at close range several times. He was pleading for his life.
According to his wife, the journalist has received death threats. This was confirmed by his fellow broadcaster who saw text messages sent to Guarin. According to the same source, the journalist was puzzled by the text message because he was not aware of anyone who wanted to kill him.
The text message read “do not go to the radio station tonight or you will be killed.” The murder was condemned by the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists. — (Associated Press)