Filipino radio broadcaster shot dead, 4th journalist this year

Filipino radio broadcaster shot dead, 4th journalist this year

2011-06-14 19:54:40 GMT+7 (ICT)

IRIGA CITY, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- National police on Tuesday confirmed that they have launched an investigation into the murder of a Filipino radio broadcaster who was gunned down on Monday morning.

Romeo Olea, 49, was attacked in front of the Holy Child Learning Center in San Jose, Iriga City, which is located in the Philippines' province of Camarines Sur, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Manila, by an unidentified group of gunmen at around 6 a.m. local time.

Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. told GMA News that investigators are now reviewing Olea's broadcast recordings to determine whether his killing was work-related. In addition, he said a "scientific examination" would be conducted on his cell phone.

Meanwhile, an autopsy of Olea's body is scheduled to be carried out by the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation office in Legazpi City, while the Crime Laboratory will be conducting a ballistic exam on the empty shells recovered at the scene of the crime.

The Philippines' Presidential Communications Operations Office condemned the killing, stating that the office was seeking "prompt action" by local authorities to arrest the culprits.

According to the National Union of Journalist in the Philippines, Olea's death marks the fourth murder among journalists this year and the fifth since President Benigno Aquino III was elected. He is also the 145th journalist to be killed since 1986, when democracy was restored in the country.

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