Bounty raised for radioman’s killers
CATARMAN, Northern Samar -- The Catholic church, local officials and media here condemned the killing of broadcaster Leo Luna Mila in San Roque town on December 2, and called on authorities to ensure the arrest of the killers.
The police provincial office has formed a task force to handle the investigation of the murder as two local politicians raised a P100,000 reward for any information leading to the capture of the killers
The Samar Island Partnership for Peace and Development (SIPPAD), a group composed of representatives from various sectors and government agencies, and organized by the three dioceses in Samar, has condemned Mila's killing, which they described as "another assault on press freedom."
The joint statement was signed by the three bishops of Samar -- Emmanuel Trance of Catarman, Isabelo C. Abarquez of Calbayog City, and Crispin B. Varquez of Borongan -- Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone and 20 other SIPPAD members.
Northern Samar Governor Raul Daza, in a separate statement, also denounced the killing of Mila, whom he described as a "hardworking mediaman" and "a close friend."
The Media Organization as Vehicle for Empowerment (MOVE) in Northern Samar also drafted a resolution condemning the murder of their colleague.
Daza and San Roque Mayor Andre Avalon offered a cash reward of P100,000 for anyone who could give information leading to the arrest of Mila's killers.
Senior Inspector Eusebio Mejos, Northern Samar police provincial director, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) by phone that his office has organized Task Force Mila to investigate the killing.
The task force is composed of Chief Inspector Jesus Miranda, head of the police provincial investigative and detective management services office; the San Roque police chief, Inspector Enrique Dino; and the other investigators of the police provincial command.
Leo Luna Mila, 35, a news anchorman and commentator of Radyo Natin, was gunned down Tuesday in San Roque, Northern Samar, Philippines. Mila was shot 12 times while leaving work. As publisher of the local magazine Peryodista and host of another radio program "Bungkaras" (Wake Up), he had been critical of the New People's Army's forced taxation. He had received threats through text messages last September.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Mila is the 8th journalist killed in the Philippines this year and the 62nd since 2001, when President  Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came to power. A total of 122 media people have been murdered since President Cory Aquino overthrew the Marcos dictatorship in 1986. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice's Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, chairman of the "Task Force 211" - Against Political Violence and Extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances in the Philippines, announced that a probe team would be sent to Northern Samar. The Northern Samar provincial police office has also formed "Task Force Mila" to investigate the killing. Two local politicians, including San Roque Mayor Andre Avalon, have offered a P100,000 (US$2 067.80) bounty for any information leading to the capture of the suspects.

Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said, "it is time for the central government, as well as local authorities, to promptly address the climate of impunity that is facilitating rising violence against Philippine journalists. Mila's murder is a reminder that police throughout the Philippines must respond immediately with investigations and protection when journalists are threatened for their work."