Marlene Garcia-Esperat

Marlene Garcia Esperat (August 29, 1959 – March 24, 2005, in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines) was a Filipina whistleblower and investigative journalist who wrote a weekly anti-graft column for local newspapers. As a result of her anti-corruption work, she was murdered in her own home.

Biography Garcia-Esperat's career in journalism began accidentally: in the early 1990s, she was an analytical chemist for the Department of Agriculture, when she discovered that her laboratory was not receiving the funding it had been allocated. Inspired by the example of her first husband, Severino Arcones, a journalist who was murdered in 1989, Garcia-Esperat began her public activities. She also spent two years in the witness protection program due to her ombudsman discoveries. for which the people ultimately responsible were identified, in addition to the people directly involved. Esperat, as former employee of the Department of Agriculture in Central Mindanao (DA-12) and Midland Review, Tacurong City columnist, exposed the alleged Jocelyn "Jocjoc" Bolante fertilizer funds scam, in which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was implicated.

Two weeks after the killing, Randy Grecia (one of the lookouts) surrendered to police, and subsequently pleaded guilty. Grecia and his three accomplices (Estanislao Bismanos and Gerry Cabayag, who likewise pleaded guilty, and Rowie Barua, who has become a state witness) have testified that they were hired by two officials in the Philippines Department of Agriculture of Central Mindanao. Murder charges were filed, but later dismissed.

The Esperat family lawyer, Nena Santos, told the Manila Standard that the dismissal of charges was "highly questionable and suspicious," and that it was a "miscarriage of justice."

On February 4, 2008, the Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered the reopening of the investigation against alleged masterminds Osmeña Montaner and Estrella Sabay of the Department of Agriculture (DA) who were earlier excluded from the charges of killing Esperat by the Regional Trial Court in Tacurong City. Tacurong RTC Judge Melanio Guerrero ordered the 2 accused to file a response within 10 days. The 2 DA officials, however, filed a motion to dismiss or to quash the case.