Radyo ni Juan station manager dies

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – A radio station manager in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat who was critically wounded by unidentified assailants late October has died in a hospital in Davao City where he was being treated.

Davao City is 977.46 kilometers south of Manila.

Benjie Abdul Caballero, station manager of Radyo ni Juan, passed away early Sunday morning of 1 December 2019. Caballero was first confined in St. Louis Hospital in Tacurong City and was later transferred to a more advanced facility in Davao City where he eventually succumbed to his injuries. A statement by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said Caballero “died of complications from pneumonia.”

In keeping with Islamic tradition of burying the deceased within 24 hours from time of death, Caballero was immediately buried by relatives in M’lang, North Cotabato.

CMFR previously reported that Caballero was shot in front of his house in Tacurong by two unidentified motorcycle-riding suspects. Prior to the attack, NUJP said he had reported receiving threats last year.

If proven work-related, his death will be the 167th since 1986, and the 15th during the Duterte regime.