The Commission on Human Rights will be conducting a motu propio investigation into the alleged attempt on the life of Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club Inc (BCBC) president Aldwin Quitasol on Tuesday, 01 March 2022.

Quitasol was on his way home when he claimed to have heard a gunshot emanating from his back, thus, instinctively, caused him to drop on the ground.

As BCBC head, Quitasol is a vocal critic of the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Early January this year, he was invited, together with other activists, to join a “dialogue” in relation to the anti-insurgency campaign of the police targeting sympathizers of communist rebels in conflict-affected areas.

Previously in 2018, in a widely disseminated police incident report from the Police Regional Office Cordillera, he was identified as a CNN (CPP-NPA-NDFP) front group personality despite his official designation to cover an event.

As the evidence on this attempted-slay remains uncertain, CHR is committed in helping to ferret out the truth. We condemn any attempt on the life of any media personality. A fully functional and democratic society allows reasonable exercise of free speech and expression as a means of participating in matters concern public life. Threats and attempts of killing and harm perpetrated against any individual expressing dissent should never be normalised.

We remain hopeful that, with the quick action of the Philippine National Police “media security vanguards” and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, perpetrators of this crime, should investigations confirm the circumstances, may be held to account and ample protection will be given to the victim and all other journalists in the exercise of their indispensible duty in a democracy.