Marlene Garcia-Esperat
Encyclopedia
Marlene Garcia-Esperat was a Filipina
whistleblower
and investigative journalist who wrote a weekly anti-graft column for local newspapers. As a result of her anti-corruption work, she was murder
ed in her own home. Her case is significant, as it is the first of the 56 murders of Filipino journalists since 1986 for which the people ultimately responsible were identified, in addition to the people directly involved. Esperat, as former employee of the Department of Agriculture in Central Mindanao (DA-12) and Midland Review, Tacurong City
columnist, exposed the alleged Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante fertilizer funds scam, in which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
was implicated.
Two weeks after the killing, Randy Grecia (one of the lookout
s) surrendered to police, and subsequently pled guilty. Grecia and his three accomplices (Estanislao Bismanos and Gerry Cabayag, who likewise pled guilty, and Rowie Barua, who has become a State Witness) have testified that they were hired by two officials in the Philippines Department of Agriculture
of Central Mindanao. Murder charges were filed, but later dismissed.
The Esperat family lawyer, Nena Santos, told the Manila Standard that the dismissal of charges was "highly questionable and suspicious," and that it was a "miscarriage of justice."
The case was re-filed.
The Cebu court convicted and meted out life imprisonment to Randy Garcia, Gerry Cabayag and Estanislao Bismanos who admitted they were hired for P120,000 to kill Esperat.
Since then, the Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered the reopening of the investigation against alleged master-minds Montaner and Sabay, respectively, of the Department of Agriculture (DA) who were earlier excluded from the killing of Esperat by the Regional Trial Court in Tacurong City.
Garcia-Esperat's career in journalism began accidentally: in the early 1990s, she was an analytical chemist
for the Department of Agriculture, when she discovered that her laboratory was not receiving the funding it had been allocated. Inspired by the example of her first husband, Severino Arcones, a journalist who was murdered in 1989, Garcia-Esperat began her public activities. She also spent two years in the witness protection program due to her ombudsman discoveries.
Esperat’s sister, Valmie Garcia Mariveles, who re-filed the charges against Montañer and Sabay, gathered more evidence. Accordingly, on September 28, 2008, Cebu City
RTC Branch 7 Judge Simeon Dumdum approved the withdrawal of charges at the Cebu City Court for filing of murder case, instead against the alleged 2 masterminds before the Tacurong City RTC. Also, on October 20, 2008, the Department of Justice (Philippines)
refiled the murder
charges, in Tacurong City against Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, DA-12 finance officer and accountant, respectively, as masterminds. Meanwhile, the New York
Committee to Protect Journalists
welcomed the issuance of arrest warrant
s by Tacurong City
, Sultan Kudarat Regional Trial Court Judge Melanio S. Guerrero of Branch 20 against the 2 accused, amid the case hearing on October 27, 2008. Tacurong RTC Judge Melanio Guerrero ordered the 2 accused to filed answer within 10 days. The 2 DA officials, however, filed a motion to dismiss or to quash the case.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
and investigative journalist who wrote a weekly anti-graft column for local newspapers. As a result of her anti-corruption work, she was murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed in her own home. Her case is significant, as it is the first of the 56 murders of Filipino journalists since 1986 for which the people ultimately responsible were identified, in addition to the people directly involved. Esperat, as former employee of the Department of Agriculture in Central Mindanao (DA-12) and Midland Review, Tacurong City
Tacurong City
Tacurong City is a 4th class city in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 82,546. Tacurong now has a total land area of 15,340 hectares, the smallest in land area among the 12 municipalities that compose the new province of Sultan...
columnist, exposed the alleged Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante fertilizer funds scam, in which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
was implicated.
Two weeks after the killing, Randy Grecia (one of the lookout
Lookout
A lookout or look-out is a person on a ship in charge of the observation of the sea for hazards, other ships, land, etc. Lookouts report anything they see and or hear. When reporting contacts, lookouts give information such as, bearing of the object, which way the object is headed, target angles...
s) surrendered to police, and subsequently pled guilty. Grecia and his three accomplices (Estanislao Bismanos and Gerry Cabayag, who likewise pled guilty, and Rowie Barua, who has become a State Witness) have testified that they were hired by two officials in the Philippines Department of Agriculture
Department of Agriculture (Philippines)
The Philippines' Department of Agriculture , abbreviated as DA, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for boosting the income of farmers as well as reducing the incidence of poverty in the rural sector, as stipulated inthe Government's Medium Term Philippine...
of Central Mindanao. Murder charges were filed, but later dismissed.
The Esperat family lawyer, Nena Santos, told the Manila Standard that the dismissal of charges was "highly questionable and suspicious," and that it was a "miscarriage of justice."
The case was re-filed.
The Cebu court convicted and meted out life imprisonment to Randy Garcia, Gerry Cabayag and Estanislao Bismanos who admitted they were hired for P120,000 to kill Esperat.
Since then, the Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered the reopening of the investigation against alleged master-minds Montaner and Sabay, respectively, of the Department of Agriculture (DA) who were earlier excluded from the killing of Esperat by the Regional Trial Court in Tacurong City.
Garcia-Esperat's career in journalism began accidentally: in the early 1990s, she was an analytical chemist
Analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials. Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample and quantitative analysis determines the amount of...
for the Department of Agriculture, when she discovered that her laboratory was not receiving the funding it had been allocated. Inspired by the example of her first husband, Severino Arcones, a journalist who was murdered in 1989, Garcia-Esperat began her public activities. She also spent two years in the witness protection program due to her ombudsman discoveries.
Esperat’s sister, Valmie Garcia Mariveles, who re-filed the charges against Montañer and Sabay, gathered more evidence. Accordingly, on September 28, 2008, Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
RTC Branch 7 Judge Simeon Dumdum approved the withdrawal of charges at the Cebu City Court for filing of murder case, instead against the alleged 2 masterminds before the Tacurong City RTC. Also, on October 20, 2008, the Department of Justice (Philippines)
Department of Justice (Philippines)
The Department of Justice , abbreviated as DOJ, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines...
refiled the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
charges, in Tacurong City against Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, DA-12 finance officer and accountant, respectively, as masterminds. Meanwhile, the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
welcomed the issuance of arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
s by Tacurong City
Tacurong City
Tacurong City is a 4th class city in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 82,546. Tacurong now has a total land area of 15,340 hectares, the smallest in land area among the 12 municipalities that compose the new province of Sultan...
, Sultan Kudarat Regional Trial Court Judge Melanio S. Guerrero of Branch 20 against the 2 accused, amid the case hearing on October 27, 2008. Tacurong RTC Judge Melanio Guerrero ordered the 2 accused to filed answer within 10 days. The 2 DA officials, however, filed a motion to dismiss or to quash the case.
External links
- Entry on Marlene Garcia-Esperat (Reporters sans Frontières)
- Obituary for Marlene Garcia-Esperat at the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
- Primer on the Marlene Esperat Case Trial at the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
- Documentary on the life and death of Marlene Esperat on CBC RadioCBC RadioCBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
's The CurrentThe Current (radio program)The Current is a Canadian current affairs radio program, hosted by investigative reporter Anna Maria Tremonti on CBC Radio One. It airs weekdays starting at 8:37 a.m. local time and runs until 10 a.m. for most of the year, although during the summer the program airs until 9:30 a.m...
(in RealAudioRealAudioRealAudio is a proprietary audio format developed by RealNetworks and first released in April 1995. It uses a variety of audio codecs, ranging from low-bitrate formats that can be used over dialup modems, to high-fidelity formats for music. It can also be used as a streaming audio format, that is...
format) - Press Freedom Groups Condemn Esperat's Murder (International Freedom of Expression ExchangeInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
)