DAVAO CITY -- Five people allegedly involved in the killing of a radio commentator Gerardo Ortega in Puerto Princesa, Palawan are now facing murder charges.
Reports said Wednesday that during the inquest proceedings, the Palawan police charged Marlon de Camata also known as Marvin Alcaraz, the gunman; Dennis Aranas; Armando Noel Loria; Jun-Jun Bomar; and lawyer Romeo Seratubias.
Ortega, 47, the 142nd media practitioner killed since 1986, is an environmental advocate, program manager of the Philippine Ecotourism Palawan of the ABS-CBN Foundation, and anchor of a daily primetime program "Ramatak" of dwAR -- a local affiliate of Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) since 2009.
De Camata, a resident of Taguig City in Metro Manila, was earlier arrested and had admitted killing Ortega in a clothing store in Barangay San Pedro on January 17.
Police sources said the caliber .45 pistol used by the suspect in the killing was traced to a government official supportive of mining operations in Palawan.
Seratubias was said to be the owner of the pistol.
Aranas was allegedly de Camata's companion in killing Ortega. De Camata admitted being offered P150,000 for the job.
Environmental organizations in Davao condemned the killing of Ortega.
Greenpeace denounced the killing and urged authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure better protection of media practitioners and activists.
"The slaying of ‘Doc Gerry’ is the latest in a continuing trend of intimidation and violence against people and groups who are simply communicating or carrying out non-violent actions to expose injustices in our society,” Greenpeace said.
It added: “The gunning down of Doc Gerry is a crime against his person; it is also a crime against free speech, against media freedom, and against the right to non-violent protest.”
Greenpeace also condemned the fact that non-violent activists and media practitioners are not only unprotected, but are also “sitting ducks to purveyors of violence, corruption and greed.”
Impunity
"The killing of anti-mining activist broadcast journalist in Palawan proves that extra-judicial killings are perpetrated in the same length under the culture of impunity remains to threaten all who defy the interests of greedy capitalists," Francis Morales of Panalipdan-Southern Mindanao said.
He added the Aquino government's development roadmap remains to serve foreign mining tenancies greed, and the corrupt operation of government officials in the country are to be blamed.
The Interface Development Interventions–Davao also shared the same sentiments.
“We hope no more environmentalist will die because we're only few," Chinkie Peliño, policy advocacy officer of Idis-Davao, said.
Ortega’s advocacy to protect the natural resources of Palawan and his defiance against the large scale mining industry in Palawan is speculated to be the cause of his untimely death.
"He might have stepped on some people's toes. He is a big loss to us. I found a perfect partner in him, and made him my project director for Palawan," said ABS-CBN Foundation President Gina Lopez, who was also one of the last persons that Ortega talked to.
Attack on anti-mining
Rose Latonio, of the Law Paralegal of Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center of Davao Regional Office, saw the death of Ortega as an attack against anti-mining and environmental justice activists.
"We are saddened. Indeed, it is not easy to struggle against the prevailing culture of death, upholding the integrity of life in its various forms is a challenge at this time," said Betty Cabazares of Kinaiyahan Foundation Inc. (Sunnex/Carmelle Marie Harrow of Sun.Star Davao)
