Radio man seeks De Lima help

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–A radio station manager in Dagupan City, who escaped a recent attempt on his life, asked Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday to order an investigation of several people who may have been involved in the incident.

Orlando Navarro, DWIZ-Dagupan manager, wrote De Lima asking “your good office to extend full assistance to the Philippine National Police-Dagupan City to conduct a thorough investigation and to expedite the solution of my case.”

Navarro was accompanied to the Department of Justice to deliver his letter by his lawyer Ferdie Topacio, Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. president Juan Dayang and Federation of Provincial Press Clubs of the Philippines president Allan Sison.

In a separate affidavit, Navarro identified five people he said should be investigated, namely, Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez, former Pangasinan police director Senior Supt. Marlon Chan, city police chief Supt. Christopher Abrahano, former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group head Freddie Laoyan and one Marlon Quebral.

Navarro, in his letter to De Lima, recounted that when he was in the hospital emergency room, he gave his daughter the names of the five as those who may have “the intention to perpetrate the crime.”

“While I was at the hospital emergency room I asked my daughter Angelica Navarro to put on record from my cell phone the names of the following persons who had the intention to perpetrate the crime (Fernandez et al.),” he said.

The FPPCCP and Volunteers against Crime and Corruption also wrote separate letters to De Lima seeking her help.

Navarro was shot by an unidentified gunman while he was talking to a tricycle driver. The radioman was hit in the upper back. He was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Former Ambassador Antonio Cabangon Chua, dWIZ owner, has offered a P500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Navarro’s attacker.

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