Reuters reporter on drug war bags McLuhan fellowship

The Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility on Thursday presented a prestigious fellowship to Manila-based reporter Manuel Mogato, who has chronicled some of the most explosive events under President Rodrigo Duterte's administration for international news agency Reuters.

Mogato received the plaque for the 2017 Marshall McLuhan Fellow at an awards ceremony held at the AIM Conference Center in Makati City.

Reuters' Manuel Mogato (third from left) receives a plaque as 2017 Marshall McLuhan Fellow on September 28, 2017. Photo: Lito Ocampo/Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility.

A year ago, Mogato and co-correspondent Karen Lema ran a story on Duterte likening himself to Adolf Hitler and saying he would “be happy” to deal with the Philippines' criminals just as the latter did to millions of Jews.

The President's remark drew international criticism from world leaders, Jewish groups and the United Nations.

A few months later, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) raised concern for Mogato's safety after hackers were able to deface his Facebook page, which NUJP chair Ryan Rosauro said could lead to physical harm to Mogato.

This August, Mogato, together with fellow Reuters reporter Claire Baldwin, came out with a special report using detailed insider accounts of two senior Philippine National Police (PNP) officials who claimed that most of the killings of criminals under the Duterte's administration were "state-sponsored."

The interviews exposed police officers supposedly receiving pay-offs for every drug suspect and other "trouble makers" killed.

The Reuters report also found tracks leading to the existence of a so-called Davao Death Squad which was said to "augment and assist" these killings.

Established in 1997 by the University of Toronto and the Canadian Embassy in Manila in honor of the Canadian philosopher, author and media theorist Marshall McLuhan, the fellowship is awarded to a journalist "embodying outstanding qualities in the field of investigative journalism."

As this year's recipient, Mogato is set for a two-week lecture tour of Canadian media and academic organizations and, later, a number of Philippine universities.

Previous McLuhan Fellows include Probe Team's  Cheche Lazaro, VERA Files' Yvonne Chua, TV'5 Ed Lingao, and MindaNews' Carolyn Arguillas.

Former Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter Raffy Lerma also bagged the Award of Distinction for 2017.

Both journalists join the ranks of the Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Fellows, a community of journalists and media practitioners poised to take part in programs of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, the CMFR said.

Apart from Mogato and Lerma, two other panelists for this year's JVOJS were Malou Mangahas of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, and Aie Balagtas See of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, both formerly of GMA News Online. — BM/MDM, GMA News