That makes it 61

Thank you to Jael Burgos, the son of the late journalist Jose Burgos, for lending us copies of old issues of Malaya. The latter founded the paper in 1981, which became a critical part of the alternative press during the dark days of Marcos dictatorship.

Thus, the official count of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility of Filipino journalists/media practitioners killed in the line of duty is now 61, not 62, as of December 12, 2006.

De Castro killed in 1984, not 1986
Source: Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility

While browsing through the pages of old Malaya issues, the staff discovered that Florante de Castro, a Mindanao-based news commentator, was killed on March 9, 1984, not 1986, as has been listed in CMFR and other media organizations' databases.

De Castro, also a lawyer, was gunned down on the said date inside his house in General Santos City.

According to a March 13, 1984 editorial of Malaya, spearheaded then by the late Jose Burgos Jr., assemblyman Reuben Canoy even wrote "Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile urging him (the latter) to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murder of [De Castro]..."

Canoy also cited the slaying of two other media practitioners, Bulletin Today's Demy Dingcong (1980) and Philippine Post's Geoffrey Siao (March 2, 1984), who were all considered killed in the line of their journalism work.

Read more here.