COTABATO CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 19 Jun) Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a Filipino journalist and his wife in an attack late Monday afternoon in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato province in the main island of Mindanao, south of Manila, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said.
It said the gunmen attacked George Vigo, 33, -- who was a writer for the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN) -- and his wife, Mazel Alave, 36, -- also host a program at a Catholic-run radio station dxND -- in Sandawa district in Kidapawan City.
The gunmen escaped after shooting the duo and the motive of the attack is still unknown, the media watch dog said.
There were no further details about the attack, but media groups in the Philippines were quick to condemn the killings and urged authorities to hunt down the assailants.
The NUJP said Vigo also was the executive director of the non-governmental organization Peoples' Kauyahan Foundation, Inc. (PKFI), which was behind many peace forums and dialogues in North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.
Other reports said the woman was also working for Rep. Lala Santos, of North Cotabato, but it was unknown if her job as media liaison had anything to do with the attack. The couple, who had 5 children, also founded the Federation of Reporters for Empowerment and Equality in the province.
Last month, gunmen also killed Fernando Batul, a broadcaster based in Palawan province in the central Philippines. He was the 5th journalist killed this year, the 42nd to die under the Arroyo administration and 79th since 1986 when press freedom was supposed to have been restored.
It said the gunmen attacked George Vigo, 33, -- who was a writer for the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN) -- and his wife, Mazel Alave, 36, -- also host a program at a Catholic-run radio station dxND -- in Sandawa district in Kidapawan City.
The gunmen escaped after shooting the duo and the motive of the attack is still unknown, the media watch dog said.
There were no further details about the attack, but media groups in the Philippines were quick to condemn the killings and urged authorities to hunt down the assailants.
The NUJP said Vigo also was the executive director of the non-governmental organization Peoples' Kauyahan Foundation, Inc. (PKFI), which was behind many peace forums and dialogues in North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.
Other reports said the woman was also working for Rep. Lala Santos, of North Cotabato, but it was unknown if her job as media liaison had anything to do with the attack. The couple, who had 5 children, also founded the Federation of Reporters for Empowerment and Equality in the province.
Last month, gunmen also killed Fernando Batul, a broadcaster based in Palawan province in the central Philippines. He was the 5th journalist killed this year, the 42nd to die under the Arroyo administration and 79th since 1986 when press freedom was supposed to have been restored.
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