KIKO WELCOMES ARREST ORDER AGAINST MASTERMINDS OF SLAIN SULTAN KUDARAT JOURNALIST

Senate Majority Leader and former broadcast journalist Kiko Pangilinan today welcomed the court decision ordering the arrest of Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, alleged masterminds in the murder of journalist Marlene Garcia-Esperat.

"This is a step in the right direction in our fight to protect our journalists from extra-judicial killings. Our courts need to show resolve in prosecuting the culprits not only to bring justice for the victims but more importantly, to send out the message that we will not allow criminality to go unpunished in this country," Kiko said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists in New York also welcomed the said decision on the 1995 killing of Esperat, who was founf dead inside her home in Sultan Kudarat on March 24, 2005. Esperat was known for her exposes on the alleged corrupt activities in the regional office of the Department of Agriculture where Montañer and Sabay worked as finance officer and regional accountant, respectively.

"This development however is not enough. The dismal pace of prosecution of the other cases against media practitioners leaves justice out of reach for so many families and continues to endanger the lives of our journalists as they perform their duties. Our police and our courts must act double-time to get to the bottom of all these aggressions," Kiko added.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility said that 37 journalists have been killed in the line of duty since President Arroyo came to power in 2001. Out of these cases, only the culprits in two cases--the 2005 killing of Esperat and the 2002 killing of Edgar Damalerio--have been convicted.