28 February 2005
Arnulfo Villanueva
Shooting
On the night of 28 February 2005, community newspaper columnist Arnulfo Villanueva was gunned down in Naic, Cavite, just south of Manila, according to a report by "The Philippine Star".
He is the first journalist to be killed in the Philippines in 2005.
Villanueva, 43, a columnist for "Asian Star Express Balita", was found by a local village official along a national road at Barangay Timalan. His body was pierced with shotgun bullets.
Naic Police Chief Pablo Zorilla said police are tracking down a woman, who was seen riding with the journalist on board a motorcycle shortly before he was killed, to shed some light on the killing. Police are still investigating if Villanueva's murder was related to his profession.
The journalist reportedly criticised some local officials over illegal gambling in some parts of Cavite province. Zorilla added that police were also looking into a possible "love angle."
Villanueva was living with a woman in the nearby town of Dasmariñas, although his recorded residence was in Naic, according to local reports.
