Media task force: 4 motives being eyed in Jumalon slay

A poster reads “Stop Killing Journalists” during a candle lighting event in Quezon City on Sunday, November 5, 2023 – hours after radio broadcaster Juan Jumalon was killed while on-air over Gold FM 94.7 in Misamis Occidental. Contributed by Kenosis Yap

Updated 11:26 a.m. to clarify the report that police are investigating the case

MANILA, Philippines —Police investigators are eyeing four motives in the assassination of radio broadcaster Juan Jumalon in Misamis Occidental early Sunday morning, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said, quoting police.

PTFoMS executive director Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez did not enumerate the four motives but said it could be a personal grudge, work-related, or politics-related based on the police’s ongoing probe.

PTFoMS is a government body designated to inventory police cases related to violence against media workers and to further investigate unresolved cases, among others.

READ: PH 8th most dangerous for journalists

“Unang-una ‘yung kanya pong pagiging broadcaster ay mukha pong lumi-lead na work-related ito,” Gutierrez said an interview over Radyo 630 on Monday.

(First of all, his being a broadcaster looks like a lead that this is work-related.)

“Isa pang tinitignan na anggulo dito ay meron silang land dispute dyan sa lugar na ‘yan at ito pa ay nakarating sa korte. Meron din pong anggulo na tinitingnan na related sa katatapos na BSKE (Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Election),” he added.

(Another angle being looked into here is that they have a land dispute in that area, and it has reached the court. There is also an angle that is being looked into that is related to the recently concluded BSKE.)

The PTFoMS head said they recommended a review of previous episodes of Jumalon’s program to police investigators. But he also noted that based on information they gathered from colleagues in the industry, Jumalon was not known as a hard-hitting commentator.

READ: Broadcaster slain on-air; Marcos, DOJ vow justice

Based on the police report, the 57-year-old radioman who was popularly known as DJ Johnny Walker, was gunned down at 5:35 a.m. on Sunday, November 5, by a still unknown assailant while on-air over Misamis Occidental’s Gold FM 94.7 in Calamba town.

Jumalon’s family rushed him to Calamba District Hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

CCTV footage from Jumalon’s home, where the radio station is located, showed that two gun-toting men were able to enter the house through the garage.

In previous reports, Calamba Municipal Police Station officer-in-charge Captain Diore Libre Ragonio was quoted to have said that they have identified three “persons of interest” in the daring assassination of Jumalon. The persons of interest include those who entered the victim’s house and a lookout.

READ: PTFoMS wants creation of task force to probe killing of broadcaster in MisOcc

Police Regional Office 10 spokesperson Maj. Joan Navarro said they are currently coordinating with the Anti-Cybercrime Group to enhance the image of the gun-wielding suspects in the CCTV footage.

“Nakikipag-ugnayan na rin po tayo sa nearest na mga establishment at ‘yung mga residential houses po kung meron pong CCTV, ‘yun po ang next move natin,” she also said.

(We are also contacting the nearest establishments and residential houses if they have CCTV; that’s our next move.)

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