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First Posted on Inside Mindanao: December 24, 2007

Davao broadcaster gunned down on Christmas

Fernando "Batman" Lintuan, the first president of the Davao Sportswriters Association and broadcaster of DXGO Aksyon Radyo, was gunned down at close range at around 10 am this morning in front of the station.

His death brought to five the number of journalists killed in 2007 and to 54 the number of journalists killed under the Gloria Macapagal–Arroyo administration.

Reports from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Davao Chapter stated that a gunman riding on a motorcycle shot Lintuan while on board a car, about to leave the station. Lintuan was hit in the head.

Two other broadcasters, Louie Ceniza and Edgar Banzon were with him in the car. It is unknown if the two were hurt in the incident.

Lintuan is the fifth Davao journalist to be killed since 1986. Broadcaster Jun Porras Pala was killed Sept. 6, 2003, while Narciso Balani, Rogie Zagado and Leo Palo were all killed on August 27, 1987. All were with dxRA Aksyon Radyo. Davao photojournalist Gene Boyd Lumawag, on the other hand, was in assignment in Jolo, Sulu when shot on November 12, 2004.

The other journalists killed this year were Hernani Pastolero (Sultan Kudarat), Carmelito Palacios (Nueva Ecija), Dodie Nunez (Cavite) and Vicente Sumalpong (Tawi-Tawi).

Lintuan left behind four children.

(IFJ-NUJP Media Safety Office)

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