CEGP assails killing of Pangasinan broadcaster

By Gabriela Baron

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) has condemned the killing of Pangasinan broadcaster Virgilio Maganes by unidentified gunmen at his residence in Villasis, Pangasinan on Nov. 10.
    Authorities said Maganes was about to enter their compound shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday when two motorcycle-riding gunmen shot him six times, killing him instantly. 

“As the oldest, broadest, and only-existing alliance of tertiary student publications in the Asia-Pacific region, CEGP vehemently condemns the murder of Virgilio Maganes, a fellow journalist, and a friend of truth,” CEGP said in a statement.

“The death of Virgilio Maganes is not in vain! On every pen and ink that continue to side with the masses, on every fist raised, and on every chant of resistance, the life of Maganes continues to live on,” it added.

Maganes, 62, was a commentator for DWPR, a local radio station in Pangasinan.

He survived a gun attack on Nov. 8, 2016 reportedly by playing dead when a motorcycle-riding gunman shot him while on board a tricycle. 

At least 190 journalists have been killed in the Philippines in the last 35 years, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world to practice journalism.

New York-based non-profit organization Committee to Protect Journalists reported last month the Philippines is seventh in its Global Impunity Index.