“We condemn any attempt on the life of any media personality.”
With its declaration, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it will conduct its own investigation on the reported slay attempt against Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club, Inc. (BCBC) President Aldwin Quitasol while he was on his way home last March 1.
In a statement issued by Spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia, a lawyer, the CHR said:
“The media, or even private citizens, should be free to voice their dissent without fearing for their lives. A fully functional and democratic society allows reasonable exercise of free speech and expression as a means of participating in matters involving public life.”
Reports stated that Quitasol, a known vocal critic of the administration's war against illegal drugs, claimed to have heard a gunshot from his back, which prompted him to drop to the ground.
The CHR said that Quitasol has been identified as a CNN (CPP-NPA-NDFP) personality in a police incident report from the Police Regional Office Cordillera back in 2018.
Last January, it said that Quitasol was invited with other activists to join a “dialogue” in relation to the anti-insurgency campaign of the police targeting sympathizers of communist rebels in conflict-affected areas.
"As the evidence on this attempted slay remains uncertain, CHR is committed to helping ferret out the truth,” De Guia said.
"Threats and attempts of killing and harm perpetrated against any individual expressing dissent should never be normalized," she stressed.
She said the CHR expressed hope that the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) "media security vanguards" and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security will ensure the safety and protection of members of the media and hold perpetrators of the crime accountable.