‘Meddling media’ derails justice for slain journo

THE court trial of the suspects involved in the killing last year of Kidapawan City broadcast journalist, Eduardo “Ed” Dizon, suffered undue delay after a media organization intervened in the case without the knowledge and consent of his family and the government task force mandated to solve all cases of violence against media workers.

Undersecretary Joel Sy Ego, head of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), expressed dismay and frustration after learning that the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) had asked the Supreme Court for a “change of venue” for the court trial.

Egco said he only learned about the development after receiving an update of Dizon’s case from Kidapawan City police director, P/Lt. Colonel Ramil Hojilla.

In his report, Hojilla stated that the start of the trial is now pending after Elizabeth Panelo, NUJP, lodged a petition with the Supreme Court, requesting for a transfer of venue, either in Davao City or in Manila.

It was not clear when the NUJP filed the petition.

The PTFoMS had already filed murder charges against the suspects as far back as August 2019 at the Kidapawan RTC, less than a month after the incident. It is just awaiting the court’s notice on when the trial would start.

“This petition has pushed back the start of the formal trial of the case. For how long, we cannot say,” Egco said.

Dizon’s wife, Madonna, informed Egco that her consent was never sought by NUJP. All along, she thought the group is coordinating its actions on her husband’s case with the PTFoMS.

“Dapat sana lahat ng moves regarding the case should be properly coordinated sa office ninyo, kasi kayo (task force) yung nagha-handle ng case,” Madonna said in a text message to Egco shared to Pinoy Exposé.

“What they (NUJP) did is uncalled for and shows total disrespect, not only to Dizon’s family but also, to the government, which has been doing all it can to give justice to Dizon,” Egco said.

The NUJP, it appears, made the family and some prosecutors in Kidapawan City believe that it is still connected with the PTFoMS, and that both the task force and Mrs. Dizon had sanctioned the petition, Egco added.

The NUJP is originally among the “media partners” of the task force in addressing all forms of violence against the media when it was formed in 2016. However, the group has stopped joining the task force’s meetings since early last year.

The NJUP, Egco noted further, filed the petition despite “not being party to the case, one way or another.”

Dizon, radio anchor of Brigada News FM in Kidapawan was slain on July 10, 2019.

Three suspects, two of them at large, have been positively identified as behind his killing.

With the task force’s intervention, investigators have identified Junell Poten/Junell Gerozaga, Sotero ‘Jun’ Jacolbe’ and the alleged mastermind, Dante Encarnacion Tabusares/Bong Encarnacion, as involved in Dizon’s murder.

Jacolbe has posted P500,000 bail for his temporary release after his surrender while Poten/Gerozaga and Encarnacion are still at large.

It was established that Dizon was killed over his strident criticisms of the “investment scheme” of the semi-religious group, “Kapa” (Kabus Padatoon) in his radio program.

Kapa has been ordered shutdown and investigated by Malacañang last year.

With the support of Dizon’s family, Egco said the task force is now looking at “possible legal remedies” to hasten the trial (updated: 10:35pm, July 11, 2020)