Aquino administration determined to solve media killings

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang on Saturday reiterated that President Aquino's administration is determined to solve cases of media killings in the country.

"Determinado naman po ang ating pamahalaan na tukuyin ang mga kasong ito at patuloy pa ring hinahanapan ng solusyon at ng katarungan,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a radio interview.

Coloma also explained that the Philippines has been topping the Global Impunity Index because of the infamous Maguindanao massacre, where more than 30 journalists were killed on November 2009 in Maguindanao province.

The issue in media killings was mentioned in the interview as a follow up to President Aquino's statement during a joint briefing with US President Barack Obama last week.

Aquino was asked by a Fox News reporter what his administration was doing to solve the cases of 26 journalists who were killed during his time. He assumed the presidency in 2010.

Aquino explained there have been 62 cases that have been reported, but clarified that only 10 were found by an inter-agency committee to be legitimate cases of extrajudicial killing.

“Of the 10 cases that have been determined to be possible cases, only one happened during our watch, the case of Mr. Rodel Estrellado,” he said, noting that Estrellado’s case passed the “criteria, definitions of what constitutes an extrajudicial killing.”

Aquino also hinted that the murder of journalists in this country is not always work-related, which is why law enforcement agencies occasionally withhold some information out of concern for the victims’ families.