Philippines: Radio journalist shot dead

Orlando “Dondon” Dinoy, a radio journalist, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman inside his home in Bansalan town, Davao del Sur, Philippines, last weekend.

Dinoy was a reporter with Newsline Philippines and an anchor for Energy FM. He covered local news, development issues and crime, according to a statement issued by Newsline Philippines editor Editha Z. Caduaya.

According to the local police, a gunman entered Dinoy’s house last Saturday around 6pm and shot him six tomes in the head and body. he died instantly.

The motive for his killing remains unclear and an investigation was under way to pin down the motive behind Dinoy’s death, said Joel Sy Egco, executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), a government body.

Dinoy will be the 21st journalist to be killed in connection with their work since Rodrigo Duterte was installed as president in 2016.

The Philippines is ranked 138th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), via its Global Impunity Index, ranked the Philippines as the seventh-worst country in the world for reporters, saying that 13 murders of journalists remained unsolved there.

“Orlando Dinoy’s murder is particularly shocking because it was carried out in a very cold-blooded manner and with a great deal of premeditation,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “Investigators must therefore be alert for evidence that allows them to identify those responsible as quickly as possible, and supports the hypothesis that it was linked to the victim’s journalistic activities.”

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