Suspect in gun-slay of Zamboanga broadcaster arrested

EMedia Barangay Action Center 105.9-Zamboanga program anchor Maria Vilma Rodriguez (Photo courtesy of Kutangbato News)

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Authorities arrested on Wednesday the suspected gunman behind the gun-slaying on Tuesday night of a local broadcast journalist in Barangay Tumaga in this city.

Colonel Kimberly Molitas, city police director, withheld the suspect’s identity pending an ongoing investigation.

Maria Vilma Rodriguez, 56, of EMedia Productions Network, Inc., was shot thrice by the suspect in front of her horrified family members around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday in Comet Street, Barangay Tumaga.

“At 1:15 a.m. (Wednesday), we arrested the suspect related to the shooting of Ms. Rodriguez,” Molitas said in a text message.

Rodriguez was rushed to the hospital but declared dead on arrival by the attending physician. She was a radio program anchor for Barangay Action Center of 105.9 EMedia.

“She is a good community leader and the barangay secretary in Tumaga.

So, we gave her a radio program on barangay affairs since she knows the issues in the barangay and her program is not a hard-hitting one,” Rey Bayoging, one of EMedia executives, was quoted as saying by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Zamboanga.

Initial investigation showed that Rodriguez was sitting inside a store together with her mother, sister, and nephew when the suspect barged in and repeatedly shot her.

“The investigation disclosed that the circumstances leading to this incident are not related to the victim’s work as a member of the media,” Molitas said without revealing the motive behind the incident.

“We express our condolences to the family of the victim,” she added. (PNA)

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