The freelance journalist Ronnie Villamor was shot by soldiers on the island of Masbate in the Philippines. The authorities claimed that the army was investigating the presence of five armed men in Barangat Matanglad, when Villamor allegedly drew a firearm and was shot dead. This has been vehemently denied by his colleagues who said he was there on request for media coverage of a land dispute that had be coordinated with local police. Villamor attempted to phone police when soldiers prevented the surveyors from working and he was shot dead.