The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Thursday welcomed the conviction of former Lezo, Aklan mayor Alfredo Arsenio for the killing of Bombo Radyo station manager Herson “Boy” Hinolan in 2004 as a “partial victory.”
Arsenio was meted out a jail term of 14 years and ordered to pay P237,5000 in indemnity to Hinolan’s heirs.
READ: Ex-mayor convicted of killing Aklan radioman
Hinolan was shot while pissing on a wall near a carnival in Kalibo on Nov. 13, 2004. He suffered 10 gunshot wounds after trying to run from a man later identified as Arsenio.
Hinolan previously criticized Arsenio for the latter’s alleged involvement in illegal cockfights.
But the NUJP said the verdict should have been for murder instead of homicide.
“Even as we welcome the conviction of Arsenio, we, like Hinolan’s widow Aphrodite and the government prosecutors who handled the case, believe the proper verdict should have been murder given how, from what we know of the case, the then mayor stalked his target and made sure he was helpless before gunning him down,” NUJP said in a statement.
“Even then, major challenges remained with two of three prosecution witnesses recanting their statements and backing out. Nevertheless, eight long years since then, we claim a partial victory with Arsenio’s conviction, thanks to the perseverance of Aphrodite (Hinolan’s widow) and the government prosecutors who defied continuous threats and offers of settlement from Arsenio,” it added.
Arsenio had been originally charged with murder but this was later downgraded to homicide due to insufficient evidence to prove the two elements of treachery and premeditation.
The NUJP said Arsenio’s conviction affirmed that the journalists’ efforts to ensure justice for their slain colleagues “can and do bear fruit.” RAM/rga