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ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews/20 June) — A reporter of the local weekly Kastigador was shot six times by a lone gunman at past 7 p.m. on June 19 while buying cigarette at a variety store in Digos City, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) reported.
Nestor Bedolido, a supporter of defeated gubernatorial candidate Claude Bautista and a known critic of reelected Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas, was the third media worker killed in six days.
Bedolido’s murder came just five days after the killing of Joselito Agustin of dzJC Aksyon Radyo in Laoag City and Desiderio Camangyan of Mati City.
Cagas told MindaNews by phone, “I do not know about that alleged killing. I am not aware that Nestor Bedolido was a legitimate mediaman. I just arrived from Manila this afternoon from a four-day Mandatory Continuing Legal Education at DAP (Development Academy of the Philippines) which ended early evening June 19,” he said.
Cagas said he would ask authorities to “conduct investigation immediately as the other five killings during the last elections should also be thoroughly investigated.”
“I had so many critics from block timers hired by my political opponents in three radio stations in Davao del Sur not to mention several stations in Davao City but I never read their columns nor listened to their programs,” he said.
“I have never read any write-up of Bedolido if there was any. I was so busy campaigning for myself and my candidates as we were opposed by well-entrenched politicians whose record of violence is too well-known,” Cagas said. (Violeta M. Gloria/MindaNews)