KARAPATAN strongly condemns the brazen killing of female broadcaster Maria Vilma Rodriguez in Zamboanga City last night. Rodriguez is the fourth victim of media killings under the Marcos Jr. government, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.
Rodriguez, 56, was a broadcaster and radio program anchor for Barangay Action Center of 105.9 media in Zamboanga City and the barangay secretary of Barangay Tumaga in Zamboanga City. Her one-year old program, Barangay Action Center, tackled barangay affairs and issues.
According to reports, Rodriguez was sitting inside a store together with her mother, sister, and nephew when a person armed with a gun barged in and repeatedly shot her at around 8:45 in the evening of Tuesday, October 22. She sustained three gunshot wounds in the belly and was declared dead on arrival at the Zamboanga City Medical Center.
“We call for an independent investigation on this brazen killing, and hope that it shall lead not only to identifying and arresting the gunman, similar to what had happened to the case of broadcaster Percy Lapid. Ultimately, the masterminds of these attacks must be held accountable,” said Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general.
“No concrete steps have been taken by the Marcos Jr. administration despite the findings of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Irene Khan, during her official country visit last January 2024. According to Khan, the Philippines remains to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, and the situation has not changed.” added Palabay.
Impunity remains and those who should be held accountable for rights violations and attacks on the people still enjoy power and wealth. Karapatan calls for vigilance as the people continue to demand justice.
“The case of Rodriguez should not be another statistic in the long list of crimes and human rights violations under the Marcos Jr. administration. We continue our call to stop the killings!,” ended Palabay.#
