Ronnie Villamor, a freelance journalist, was shot dead by the police on November 14 during what the police described as an ‘encounter’. The police claimed that Villamor was one of the 5 armed suspects, and when tracked down and ordered to stop, pointed a gun at the military forces. Sensing imminent danger, the troops fired upon the suspect which resulted in his untimely death. According to the Journalists’ union, Villamor was trying to cover a land dispute in the municipality’s Barangay Matanglad, but was blocked by soldiers.