2 Masbate media workers face murder raps

MANILA, Philippines — Two members of the Masbate Quad Media Society Inc. are facing additional murder complaints after they filed plunder and graft charges against officials of the provincial government before the ombudsman over alleged ghost infrastructure projects.

Benjamin Gigante and Jose Alfaro, both working for radio station dyME, are facing complaints filed by provincial prosecutor Jeremias Mapula before the Cataingan, Masbate Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 49, for the murder of Richard Bauso on April 6.

Gigante and Alfaro, along with Masbate Quad Media fellow member Ramesis Sison, got a reprieve on July 25 when RTC Branch 49 Judge Teofilo Tambago recalled the arrest order issued against them.

The arrest warrant was for their alleged involvement in the murder of Virgil Arriesgado in August 2022, which was reportedly perpetrated by communist rebels.

The group expressed concern over the filing of “unwarranted murder complaints” against the Masbate media men.

The group decried the murder raps, saying it was “wrongful labeling” of the journalists as they are known members of the media in their community and not New People’s Army rebels.

The group also slammed the complaints as a “retaliatory response” of Masbate Gov. Antonio Kho, reminding local officials “to confront the allegations directly and enhance access to public information” when faced with corruption allegations.

Alfaro and Gigante were the complainants in a string of graft and plunder cases filed by the media group before the Office of the Ombudsman against Masbate officials as well as contractors over supposed ghost infrastructure projects in the province from 2022 to 2023.