Summary Gunmen shot dead a radio broadcaster in the troubled southern Philippines on Monday.
ZAMBOANGA (AFP) - Gunmen shot dead a radio broadcaster in the troubled southern Philippines on Monday, police said as fears grew of mounting violence ahead of national elections next month.
Mario Baylosis Vendiola, 33, host of DXLM, was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle in Kabasalan town on the island of Mindanao, said town police head Senior Inspector Rico Pondol.
The victim was returning from hosting his radio show when he was killed, Pondol said.
Police said he hosted an entertainment show and they still did not know the motive for the attack. But he had previously reported a threat to his life.
Rowena Paraan, head of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said the group was looking into the incident.
"We want to verify very carefully if this is work-related. We are trying to verify if he is connected to any politician or espoused any candidate," in the May 13 local and legislative elections, she said.
If Vendiola s murder is related to his work as a broadcaster, it would be the first job-related killing of a journalist this year and the sixth since President Benigno Aquino s election in 2010, according to the union s count.
He would also be the 155th journalist murdered over his work since democracy was restored in the Philippines in 1986, Paraan said.
In the worst such incident, at least 32 journalists were among 58 people murdered when followers of a powerful political clan waylaid a convoy of a rival politician in Mindanao in November 2009.
Outspoken journalists or those linked to politicians are routinely attacked in the Philippines, which watchdogs say is one of the most dangerous places in the world for members of the press.
Human rights and media groups widely blame the killings on a "culture of impunity", where powerful figures believe they can carry out violent attacks on their critics without being punished.
Security forces are on alert for any spike in violence ahead of next month s elections for positions ranging from town councillors to legislators.
