A local journalist in this city who had been receiving death threats remains missing, his relatives claimed Saturday. Emmanuel Ansihagan, a radio broadcaster for DXRS Radyo Natin and columnist of Caraga Times, went to local police Thursday last week to report that he was being threatened to stop reporting about illegal logging in the province. Ansihagan, who was also a tribal leader, has not returned home since, said his cousin Mark Ansihagan and uncle Datu Bayhon Ansihagan. Gingoog City Police head Senior Superintendent Roy Ga said he had formed an investigating team to look into the threats against Ansihagan. One of the text messages sent to Ansihagan read: “Stop your cmpaign against logging and mining or end up like the other tribal leaders who were killed.” Ansihagan had told the police he had sensed that he was being placed under surveillance and that somebody was following him that day. He told the police that he could no longer ignore the threats and was forced to stop his radio commentary program “Barog Mindanao” due to the threats. Ansihagan said he took up his anti-illegal logging campaign after the local brance of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources failed to stop illegal logging and mining activities in their ancestral lands. Ansihagan had told the police that the death of his DXRS colleague in 2008 made him fear for his life. On Nov. 17, 2008, a motorcycle-riding gunman shot DXRS blocktimer Arecio Padrigao. – ABS
