Radio anchor shot dead in Kidapawan

GUNMEN shot dead on Wednesday night an anchor of a radio station in Kidapawan City, Cotabato, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said.

NUJP said Eduardo “Ed” Dizon, of 97.5 Brigada News FM, was driving home to Tejada Subdivision in Makilala town after hosting his “Tira Brigada” program when two men on a motorcycle opened fire on him along Quezon Boulevard near the Colegio de Kidapawan around 10:35 p.m.

He sustained five gunshot wounds.

“Dizon managed to steer his car to the side of the road but died from five gunshots to the body,” the NUJP said, quoting Lt. Col. Maria Joyce Birrey, Kidapawan police chief.

The victim served as station manager until last year when he made an unsuccessful run for councilor in Makilala, the group said.

“If his murder is determined to be connected to his work, Dizon would be the 13th journalist killed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte and the 186th since 1986,” it added.

In a statement, Brigada Group said it “condemns in strongest terms the killing of Eduardo ‘Kabrigada Ed’ Dizon, anchorman of 97.5 Brigada News FM Kidapawan, in the wake of his relentless exposé against unscrupulous individuals and organizations involved in illegal undertakings.”

“Brigada Group sees the attack on Mr. Dizon, a veteran and seasoned broadcast journalist who was an organic employee of Brigada, as an attempt to silence Brigada media and its news personalities from their exposé and position on prevailing issues,” the statement said.

Dizon was a scholar at Mindanao State University in Marawi City where he took up Bachelor of Science in International Relations. (MindaNews)