Philippines
Suspects in journalist's death missingPosted Dec 17 2008
A finance officer and an accountant believed to have commissioned the March 2005 murder of reporter Marlene Esperat are on the run. Inquirer.net reports Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, both of the Department of Agriculture in Central Mindanao, were nowhere to be found when the warrants for their arrest were served days after charges were filed.
Arrested for the killing of Esperat, Sgt. Rowie Barua confirmed earlier this year that he was paid to kill the journalist and fingered Montañer and Sabay as having hired him. According to International Freedom of Expression Exchange, Esperat had been a “fertilizer scam whistle-blower,” exposing corruption related to the Department of Agriculture before her death.
Central Mindanao Police Director Felizardo Serapio said law enforcement believes Montañer and Sabay are hiding somewhere.
“We don't really know where they are,” he said, but “most likely they are still in the country.”
The Department of Justice secured a travel ban against the two officials so as to keep them inside the country. Montañer, however, had managed to slip out of the Phillipines once before, despite charges implicating him in the Esperat murder.