Joe Burgos' son missing

The widow of the late crusading journalist Jose "Joe" Burgos Jr on Monday bemoaned that her son, who has been living a life of helping poor farmers in Bulacan, has been missing since last week. Edith Burgos asked the public to provide information on the whereabouts of her son Jonas, whom she said was actively involved with farmers' alliances in the Central Luzon province. Radio station dzBB said Jonas was an agriculture graduate. He was last seen in Quezon City about a week ago, and Edith has not heard from him since. Saying her son lived a quiet life, Edith said Jonas was not affiliated with any party-list group nor was he a participant in protest rallies. Joe Burgos was a pioneer of the alternative press during the martial law years of the Marcos regime, setting up the We Forum, Malaya and Midday in 1977. He was arrested in 1982 after military personnel raided the We Forum office. Upon his release, he started the English-version of the Malaya broadsheet which was critical of Marcos' rule. After the 1986 EDSA revolution, the Inter-Press Service named Burgos as the "International Journalist of the Year." In 2000, the International Press Institute also named Burgos as one of the world's "50 Press Freedom Heroes of the Century." He passed away in 2003 at the age of 62 due to a lingering illness. - GMANews.TV