Philippines: Journalist Shot Dead In Second Attempt On His Life

A Filipino journalist, who had survived the first attempt on his life was shot dead outside his home.

Virgilio Maganes, 62, was a commentator for DWPR radio station in the northern province of Philippines' Pangasinan. On Tuesday, a group of men opened fire at him. He was shot six times and succumbed to his injuries instantly. Till now, the motive behind the killing has not been discovered, reported The Guardian.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned the murder, stating that it was the 18th such killing since Rodrigo Duterte became president in 2016. The union said that Maganes' death was an indictment on the government's exaggeration about press freedom and its importance in the country. They demanded the government to take necessary steps for the protection of journalists.

Magane's had earlier survived a 2016 shooting by pretending to be dead, after being hit. A note left at the scene during the first attempt on his life said: "I'm a drug pusher, don't emulate me." The Union told the media that such messages were common in extrajudicial killings.

The Philippines is considered one of the dangerous countries in the world for journalists, where most of the cases of killings go unattended.

According to the 2020 report of the New York-based NGO, Committee to Protect Journalists, the country stood at the seventh position in its global impunity index.

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