Human Rights Online Philippines

First media killing of 2012: Gensan publisher shot dead
by Abigail Kwok and Niccolo Blanco, InterAksyon.com
January 6, 2012

 GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – (UPDATE 10 – 7:25 p.m.) Just six days into the new year, the publisher of a community newspaper was shot dead in front of his wife and young daughter by one of two men riding tandem on a motorcycle along Conel Road in General Santos City past 10 p.m. Thursday.

Christopher Guarin, 42, suffered five gunshots to the body and another to the head and was declared dead at the General Santos City Hospital, the first media practitioner murdered in the country this year.

An updated count by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines recorded Guarin as the 10th media practitioner killed since President Benigno Aquino III assumed office and the 150th since 1986.

Reacting to the latest killing, two lawmakers urged government to let the private sector put an end to media murders.

Malacanang, on the other hand, claimed the police have “identified leads and they are in hot pursuit.”

“We expect the PNP to apprehend the suspects. We condemn the extrajudicial killing of another journalist,” Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

Guarin was publisher and editor-in-chief of the community daily Tatak News and also hosted a block-time program on Radio Mindanao Network’s station dxMD here.

Police Officer 2 Gerald Jubelag, investigator of the Lagao police station, told reporters Guarin, driving his Kia Pride sedan, was with his wife, Lyn, and nine-year old daughter when the attack took place as they were approaching their home in Sunrise Subdivision.

Lyn was grazed on the left arm by a bullet.

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