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Percival Mabasa’s homicide on the outskirts of Manila on October third, whereas the 63-year-old radio journalist was driving to work, was barely newsworthy. The Philippines is likely one of the deadliest locations to be a journalist: 197 have been murdered within the nation because it restored democracy in 1986. Unusually, nonetheless, the investigation into Mr Mabasa’s killing has produced an alleged offender. Much more remarkably, the accused is a robust official: Gerald Bantag, head of the nationwide jail service.
Mr Bantag, who was questioned by prosecutors final week although he denies the crime and has not been formally charged with it, is alleged to have ordered prisoners on the huge New Bilibid Jail to rearrange the hit on Mr Mabasa, after the journalist urged he was corrupt. One of many gunmen surrendered and confessed to finishing up the hit for a share of 550,000 pesos ($9,900). He claimed it had been organized by a convict known as Jun Villamor—who was then discovered suffocated with a plastic bag.
However the useless inmate had left a textual content message naming names. Mr Bantag, one other warden and ten prisoners are accused of conspiring to commit one or each of the murders. Mr Bantag has been suspended by the lately elected president, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.
Media shops within the Philippines are nonetheless recovering from the ravages of his father, Ferdinand Marcos, who shut them down, seized their property and hounded journalists after he imposed martial regulation in 1972. Press freedom was enshrined in a brand new structure after he was ousted. But the killing of so many reporters is just one signal of official disdain for that proper. Lower than 10% of the crimes have been solved. Bongbong’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, mentioned the slain reporters had been accountable “as a result of they extorted…or attacked their victims needlessly”.
Little higher was anticipated of Mr Marcos (whose vice-president is Mr Duterte’s daughter Sara). However the investigation of Mr Mabasa’s killing has raised hope. It has additionally unearthed different scandals at New Bilibid, together with caches of weapons, the corpses of 176 prisoners, rotting in a mortuary—and, most remarkably of all, a 30m-deep gap beside Mr Bantag’s residence on the jail, which seems to connect with a tunnel. Mr Bantag at first mentioned the opening represented an effort to discover a legendary hoard of treasure. On additional questioning he mentioned it had been meant for scuba-diving observe.
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