The suspected gunman in the murder of a Filipino radio journalist has surrendered to police, authorities said on Tuesday (October 18th), calling the event “major step forwardin the survey.
The suspect surrendered and surrendered a weapon to police on Monday.out of fear for (his) personal safetyafter police released his portrait from a security video, Interior Minister Benjamin Abalos said. The minister told reporters that the weapon “matchedto ballistics.
Criticized the former president
The archipelago is one of the most dangerous regions in the world for journalists and most of the perpetrators of these homicides have not been convicted. Percival Mabasa, known as Percy Lapid, is the second journalist killed since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. came to power on June 30. He was shot dead near his home in a Manila suburb on October 3 as he drove to the premises of the DWBL radio station, where he worked.
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The journalist had openly criticized former President Rodrigo Duterte as well as the policy pursued by the government of his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The police briefly presented the suspect, wearing a bulletproof vest, to the press. The latter spoke to reporters, explaining that he and three other people had participated in the ambush under the orders of an incarcerated person, whose identity he did not disclose, and had then shared the bonus of 550,000 pesos (9500 euros).
“Culture of impunity”
“Our arrangement was that whoever was closest to Percy had to shoot him and I happened to be closest.“, confessed the suspect. “I hope his family will forgive me“, he added, naming his three other accomplices still at large. He did not mention the motivations of the murderer.
Relatives of Percival Mabasa welcomed the arrest, adding that they hope “this development would lead to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the sponsorthe victim’s brother said in a statement. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said that suing the sponsor “would contribute to eradicating the culture of impunity around the murders of journalists” in the country.
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In an October 2021 report, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) ranked the Philippines 7th on its Global Impunity Index, counting 13 unsolved killings. Since 1992, at least 155 journalists have died, according to the CPJ website.
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