Batul suspect acquitted;
Palawan media worried

THE recent acquittal of the primary suspect in the 2006 murder of Palawan radio broadcaster Fernando ‘Dong” Batul has journalists in that province up in arms.

Palawan journalist Redempto Anda, for one, thinks that the acquittal highlights the problem with the Philippine justice system. Anda says that it was clear that the judge gave more weight to the testimony of one witness presented by the defense, as against the testimonies of the four witnesses presented by the prosecutors.

“It’s sad because it underlines the failure of our judicial system as a last recourse for journalists,” says Anda. “The decision appears to be subjective on the part of the judge. He could have given credence to the testimonies of the four versus the one who positively identified with accused gunman.”

Known for his hard-hitting commentary and his rabid criticism of Palawan’s political kingpins such as Edward Hagedorn, Batul was shot by two assailants in May 2006 while en route to his radio program. A nationwide manhunt ensued, which led to the arrest of PO1 Aaron Florigardo in Metro Manila, ironically right inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame.

At the trial, prosecutors had presented at least four witnesses who claimed that Florigardo had shot Batul. But defense lawyers presented another witness who claimed he also saw the gunman, and that he was certain it was not Florigardo.

On Monday, Puerto Princesa Regional Trial Court judge Bienvenido Blancaflor ruled in favor of murder suspect PO1 Aaron Florigardo, saying there was a lack of credible witnesses on the part of the prosecution.

According to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), Batul was the 59th journalist killed in the line of duty during the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. A 2007 CMFR report said that a crucial witness in the Batul case, Ferdinand Bayles, was prevented from testifying in court.

Last January, another Palawan-based broadcaster, Gerry Ortega, was shot and killed in Puerto Princesa. Unlike in the Batul case, the gunman in the Ortega murder was arrested shortly afterward – in part due to closed-circuit cameras installed by the Puerto Princesa city government as a response to the Batul murder. Authorities have also been able to identify suspected masterminds in the Ortega murder, including former Palawan governor Joel T. Reyes, something that has remained elusive for the Batul case.

Media observers in Palawan say that the killings of Batul and Ortega have heralded the birth of a culture of violence in the province, something that the once-tranquil locale has avoided until recently.