An outspoken radio reporter was gunned down by motorcycle riding gunmen in Quezon City Saturday, police said yesterday.
Senior Insp. Elmer Monsalve, chief of the Homicide Section of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection, identified the victim as Jose Bernardo, 44, married, a reporter of DWBL 1042Khz radio.
Bernardo, a resident of Doña St., Barangay Camarin, Caloocan City, was also a correspondent and a columnist of Banderang Pilipino Weekly.
Monsalve said that based on their initial investigation, Bernardo was about to park his motorcycle in front of Jollibee Zabarte on Zabarte Road in Barangay Kaligayahan at about 9:42 p.m. when two men onboard a motorcycle appeared.
One of them shot the several times then fled with his companion towards Camarin, Caloocan.
Monsalve said Marlon Dionio, 23, married, an employee of Jollibee Zabarte, and of Barangay Pasong Tamo, Quezon City, was wounded by a stray bullet.
Monsalve said Dionio was hit in the breast by a stray bullet and is now in stable condition in a hospital.
A witness, security guard Eulegio Berina Jr., told police that he was on his post at the entrance of Bernardino General Hospital when he saw an unidentified man pull out a handgun and kill Bernardo while he was about to park his motorcycle.
The victim was taken by barangay tanods of Barangay Kaligayahan to Bernardino General Hospital where he was declared dead at about 10:50 p.m.
Scene-of-the-Crime Operatives led by Senior Insp. Jun Malong recovered from the crime scene a deformed bullet and the victim’s motorcycle with license plates 7554UN. Two fired cartridge cases were also handed over to the SOCO team.
The victim’s body was taken to St. Matthew Funeral Services for autopsy.
PO2 Jim Barayoga, case investigator, said that they have talked to the victim’s relatives and they believe that his work as media practitioner could be a reason for his killing.
Police have not determined if the victim had been receiving death threats.
Monsalve said a thorough probe is being conducted to determine the motive behind the killing.
Meanwhile, National Press Club president Joel Sy Egco denounced Bernardo’s killing and urged authorities to immediately solve the crime.
“We denounced the killing and we are calling on authorities to find the killers and mastermind,” Egco said. “It comes at a time as we prepare to commemorate the Maguindanao massacre,” he said. (Francis Wakefield)