PPF seeks investigation of publisher’s murder in Philippines | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

PPF seeks investigation of publisher’s murder in Philippines

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pakistan Press Freedom (PPF), in a letter to President of Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, expressed concern over the murder of newspaper publisher Larry Que on December 19.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter urged the government of Philippines to investigate the incident to establish motive and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

According to the Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility (CMFR), Que was shot in the head at close range at around 10:00 a.m. on December 19 while entering an office building in Catanduanes province’s town of Virac. A gunman wearing a helmet, bonnet, and raincoat escaped on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice, CMFR added. Que died while receiving treatment for his injury at the Eastern Bicol Medical Center.

Que was publisher and columnist at the local Catanduanes News Now, a weekly community newspaper established this year. He was also the owner of a local insurance company and ran for mayor of Virac in an election he lost in May, according to local media.

According to a research by US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Philippines is the third deadliest country in the world for the press. Since 1992, at least 77 journalists have been killed in Philippines. On CPJ’s Impunity Index (which highlights the countries where journalists are murdered and killers go released) Philippine ranks fourth.