The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Friday blasted the pattern of violence against working journalists in the Visayas as another member of the press was shot in Cebu City on Thursday afternoon.

Radio block timer Rico Osmeña was shot by still unidentified assailants while on board a public utility bus along M.J. Cuenco Avenue in downtown Cebu City. He, along with a still-unidentified female passenger, survived the attack.

“Osmeña’s shooting happened proximate to the coming election period – a period in our country perennially marred by violence and extrajudicial attempts to stifle media. Whether or not work-related, this attack sets a chilling precedent to what awaits the free press on what are usually the most dangerous months for truth-tellers in the country,” the NUJP said in a statement.

“The reports of attacks on our colleagues in the Visayas are a result of the culture of impunity that prevails in our country. It is a culture that affirms the killings are a valid way to forward an agenda,” it added.

The NUJP urged authorities to conduct a speedy and impartial investigation into the attempt on the life of Osmeña.

Osmeña was on board a PUV when the assailants boarded the vehicle and shot him last December 16 afternoon. A stray bullet hits a female passenger.

Osmeña just came from his radio program at dyLA where he hosts a program titled “Karon Sugbo.”

Days before he was shot, Osmeña announced during his program that he received threats from someone he did not identify.

Osmeña was also a correspondent of the Daily Tribune.

Just recently, veteran journalist Jesus ‘Jess’ Malabanan, a news correspondent of Manila Standard and Reuters, was shot and killed by a still unidentified assailant in Calbayog, Samar.

Last July, radio commentator Rey Cortes was gunned down in front of DyRB radio station in Bgy. Mambaling, Cebu City.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Hector Lawas