ZAMBOANGA CITY, 2 September 2004 — Authorities yesterday said a former policeman had been arrested for the murder of a journalist in the southern Philippines two years ago.
Police said Guillermo Wapile, the chief suspect in the murder of Edgar Damalerio, was cornered on Tuesday in Pagadian City, where the killing took place in May 2002.
Damalerio, who worked with the local newspaper Zamboanga Scribe and a broadcaster for the government-run RPN, was onboard his jeep when he was shot in the head several times.
Philippine National Police chief Edgardo Aglipay announced the arrest in Manila during a hearing by the Senate Committee on Public Order.
Local police did not give details of Wapile’s arrest, but Aglipay said the former cop is being held at a police headquarters in Zamboanga City.
Wapile escaped from police custody in 2003 after a court ordered his arrest.
The local media watchdog the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) yesterday lauded the police for Wapile’s arrest. “It is a major breakthrough nonetheless in the Damalerio case. The wheels of justice should now begin to turn.
The family and friends of Damalerio, as well as the public, deserve at least that,” Carlos Conde, NUJP secretary-general, said in a statement.
The NUJP said at least 56 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since 1986 and most of these cases remain unsolved.
“With Wapile’s arrest, we hope that the police will gain the momentum to deal with the numerous other cases. We also hope that the media community will not stop in their efforts to attain justice for the journalists who have been silenced over the years,” he said.
