DAVAO CITY (June 28) — Malacañang on Tuesday assured that the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) is already investigating the death of Davao del Norte-based publisher and journalist Dennis Denora.
Denora, publisher of Trends and Times, a community paper in Davao del Norte, was killed by riding-in-tandem gunmen in an ambush in Panabo City last June 7.
Last Friday, June 22, The Task Force Denora released the video footage of the incident but still the investigators did not offer any other information or significant update about the case.
Denora was with his driver, Mayonita Rivera, who was wounded but survived the attack.
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Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque during the Tuesday press briefing said “This is a new case, and this will be investigated by the task force on media killings headed by Undersecretary (Joel) Egco.”
The Denora family however said they are still awaiting Egco to visit them. One journalist from Davao del Norte said “Egco issued a statement about Brod Dennis Denora but we never saw his shadow here, where is he?”
The PTFoMS headed by Egco was created by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2016 to address media killings and harassment.
“And I’m very pleased to note that the Duterte administration is the only administration that has formed a regular task force to take charge of the investigation and prosecution of the killings of media workers,” Roque added.
Roque had previously defended the efforts of the Duterte administration to investigate the series of killings that have targeted media practitioners, priests and prosecutors, saying the government’s initiatives are not merely a “lip service.”
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Contrary to the statement of Roque, Mindanao journalists could not feel the intervention of Egco on the Denora case.
The Mindanao Independent Press Council (MIPC) has earlier called on President Rodrigo Duterte to order investigators to fact-track the investigation in the Denora case and other cases involving journalists.
Egco has been issuing statements but he has yet to prove his word as far as his Task Force is concerned.-Editha Z. Caduaya/NewsLine.ph
