Activists pay tribute to Dan Campilan

The activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan on Saturday paid tribute to GMA News reporter Dan Campilan who met an untimely death Saturday morning in a car accident in Quezon City. "His background as an activist served him well as a journalist because his reporting genuinely reflected the situation of the poor and oppressed," said Renato Reyes, Bayan secretary general. Before becoming a reporter for GMA, Dan Campilan was a member of the League of Filipino Students in Cebu. "He believed and upheld the principles and ideals of genuine freedom and democracy and could identify with the plight of the poor," Reyes said in a statement. Reyes said: "We remember Dan for covering major rallies and mobilizations….He was conscientious in his coverage of rallies, paying attention to speeches and not minding the difficulties of rain, long marches and even violent dispersals by the police." Reyes said he last saw Campilan during the September 21 rally against political killings. Reyes said Campilan confided once that he was almost moved to tears by the speeches and actions of the marchers from the provinces. "He said it was sometimes difficult for him to cover rallies because he could always relate to the speeches and presentations… Yet he enjoyed being there covering the action, almost even marching together with the other protesters," Reyes said. "We will surely miss Dan Campilan. His untimely death is a great loss for the broadcast industry as well as the people’s movement he belonged to and covered with great interest," Reyes said. - GMANews.TV