Whistleblower Wilfredo "Boy" Mayor was murdered last Sunday morning in Pasay City, Philippines. According to numerous news reports, gunmen on two motorcycles attacked Mayor’s vehicle (which had heavily tinted windows) while it was stopped at a red light at 4:11 am on Sunday.
Mayor had been an operator of an illegal numbers game called "jueteng." His testimony to the Philippine Senate linked President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s son to the illegal game. Former Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz announced that he believes Mayor was killed because he was about to expose a concern that construction projects in Albay were being steered to a favored contractor. This contractor was exercising monopoly power over construction, preventing effective competition. The projects were funded using the Countrywide Development Fund (CDF). My heart goes out to Mayor’s family and friends as I consider how speaking truth to power exposes one to unknown levels of retaliation. Follow these links to stories by ABS-CBN, World News and GMA TV.