Anti-Marcos Newsman Shot to Death in Glendale Home : Received Warning of ‘Execution’

The Los Angeles bureau manager of the Philippine News, a newspaper that has opposed the regime of President Ferdinand E. Marcos, was shot to death in his Glendale home today, a day after receiving a letter threatening his life, authorities said.

Word that Oscar Salvatierra, 41, was shot came first from the San Francisco headquarters of the Philippine News, a spokeswoman for Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) said. Salvatierra had received a warning that “you will be executed,” the spokeswoman, Chris Lopez, added.

Ben Aniceto, editor of the weekly English-language newspaper, also alluded to a threatening letter received by Salvatierra and said that “based on this threat ... we can only attribute this dastardly act to politics because the Philippine News has always reported the truth about the Marcos regime.”

“I have asked FBI Director William H. Webster to investigate this atrocity and to offer his cooperation,” Cranston said in a statement.

He said he also asked Webster to protect Philippine News Publisher Alex Esclamado and the paper’s sales representative, Stan Aragon, and members of their families.

FBI Investigating

Local FBI spokesman Fred Reagan said the agency was investigating, but provided no details of the slaying at Salvatierra’s home in suburban Glendale.

Salvatierra was pronounced dead at his home on Kirkham Drive after officers responded to a shots-fired call at 10:11 a.m., police said. Aniceto said the Salvatierra’s attacker broke a window to get into the home.

Christopher Loop of the Glendale Police Chief’s office said that members of Salvatierra’s family had made phone calls to the Philippine News headquarters in San Francisco.

The Philippine News said Esclamado left immediately to fly to Los Angeles to help police with their investigation.

The Philippines News, with a circulation of 70,000, is believed to be the largest Filipino-American newspaper in the United States and recently published an “Election Extra” urging Filipino-Americans to take vacations in the Philippines to coincide with the Feb. 7 presidential elections.

Warning Reported

Last Saturday the Philippines National Assembly declared Marcos the winner over opposition leader Corazon Aquino. Aquino claimed she was cheated of victory because of massive fraud and violence by Marcos supporters.

In Washington, Cranston said Esclamado called him to inform him of the murder and to say Salvatierra had received a warning letter on Tuesday saying, “You will be executed.” Cranston said Esclamado also told him that sales representative Aragon had also been warned: “You will be next.”

“Esclamado believes all this is the work of Marcos’ agents and intended to intimidate him into ceasing his opposition to the Marcos regime,” Cranston told reporters.

Esclamado immigrated to the United states in 1959 and started his newspaper two years later. Its headquarters office is in South San Francisco, a suburb and industrial community of San Francisco.