By ROY MEDINA
abs-cbnNEWS.com

The Philippines has been ranked among 13 countries with the "poorest records" of running after and prosecuting murderers of journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a list released Wednesday.

"Most countries on the Impunity Index are democratic, are not at war, and have functioning law enforcement institutions, yet journalists are regularly targeted for murder and no one is held accountable," CPJ said as it released the index ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Saturday, May 3.

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The Philippines, at sixth spot, was desribed as a country with "a free and vibrant press."

The report, however, added that, "...journalists covering corruption, crime, and politics have repeatedly been targeted with violence."

"Broadcast commentators and reporters in provincial regions are especially vulnerable. Politicians and police have been implicated in a number of slayings, but corruption in the local court system has stymied efforts to prosecute. No convictions have been obtained in 24 cases," it said.

The Impunity Index rating for the Philippines, the CPJ said, means that there are "0.289 unsolved journalist murders per 1 million inhabitants."

Citing Philippine records, CPJ said the country has 24 unsolved cases of journalists' murders.

The Philippines was ranked just below Sri Lanka, which was desribed as a country where "journalists are more like to be assassinated than to die in crossfire, with many of the victims ethnic Tamils."

'92, 56'

The Manila-based National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, meanwhile, has listed 92 media practitioners murdered since 1986 after dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted from power.

It, however, explained that, "The list contains only those who were killed -- or most likely killed -- because of their journalism work.

"In cases where it is not clear whether the death was work-related, or when the authorities could not ascertain the motives behind the killing, NUJP shall assume that the killing was work-related, unless future evidence points to the contrary."

Based on NUJP records, newspaper publisher Benefredo Acabal was the 92nd journalist journalist to be murdered since 1986 and the 56th following the ascent of President Arroyo to power in 2001.

Acabal, who wrote a column under the name Freddie Yanco, was gunned down by a lone assailant in Pasig City on April 7, 2008.

Five and up

According to the New York-based group, the Impunity Index calculated the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each country’s population. CPJ said it examined every nation worldwide for the period from Jan. 1, 1998 to Dec. 31, 2007. Only nations with five or more unsolved cases are included on this index.

Cases are considered unsolved when no convictions have been obtained, CPJ said.
CPJ said it defines murder as a deliberate attack against a specific journalist in relation to the victim’s work.

"Murders make up more 70 percent of work-related deaths among journalists, according to CPJ research. This index does not include cases of journalists killed in combat or while carrying out dangerous assignments such as coverage of street protests," it said.

Established and then some

Of the 13 countries in the list, CPJ said that except for conflict-mired Iraq, Sierra Leone and Somalia, the others are "established, peacetime democracies."

"Every time a journalist is murdered and the killer is allowed to walk free, it sends a terrible signal to the press and to others who would harm journalists," said CPJ executive director Joel Simon.

He urged governments on the list to "do more to demonstrate a real commitment to a free press."

Others in the list were Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.

"We are calling for action: thorough investigations and vigorous prosecutions in all journalist homicides," Simon said.