Kin, colleagues want swift justice for slain Koronadal reporter

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines — The family and colleagues of slain Bombo Radyo driver-reporter Romel “Jojo” Palma continue to cry out for justice as the victim was being laid to his final resting place at the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park here on Sunday afternoon.

Thirteen days after Palma was gunned down right in front of South Cotabato Provincial Hospital, the police are still facing a blank wall as to the identity of the mastermind and the four suspects.

Dods Arcenas, the victim’s colleague at the Bombo Radyo-Koronadal, expressed fears this would become another incident of unsolved media killing in the region.

“We are just hoping that his death will not be included in the statistics of growing unsolved media killings in Central Mindanao,” Arcenas said.

Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, police chief for Central Mindanao, said that the police are eyeing land dispute as possible motive behind the Palma murder.

Palma was the second journalist killed by the assassin’s bullets since January this year.

The first victim was tabloid editor/publisher Christopher Guarin who was killed in front of his wife and daughter while on they were on their way home in the evening of January 5 in San Isidro village, General Santos City.

The police managed to establish the identity of the triggerman who remains at large.

Fr. Joseph Facura, who officiated the mass shortly before the burial, challenged the local authorities to do everything to give justice to the victim.

“We call on the local authorities to dig deeper and do everything they can to solve the Palma killing. This could be a handiwork of an organized crime [group] and not just an isolated incident as claimed by the local police,” Facura said.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of South Cotabato passed a resolution two weeks ago condemning the killing of Palma.