Radio anchor survives gun attack, son in critical condition in Surigao City

SURIGAO CITY — A Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) anchor narrowly survived a gun attack around 5 p.m. on Thursday, although his 12-year-old son was seriously wounded and has remained in critical condition at a local hospital as of Thursday night.

Saturnino Estanio Jr., an anchorman for dxRS-RMN Surigao, said two motorcycle-riding men pumped bullets at them as he and his son disembarked from their car at their residence in Barangay Rizal here past 5 p.m.

“We just arrived home from the office with my whole family. I and my son alighted last from the car and then the gunmen attacked us,” the 41-year old Estanio told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Estanio sustained minor gunshot injuries in a foot and at the back, and was even able to drive the car some four kilometers to the nearest hospital. His son, JV, however, suffered a serious wound around his left armpit, according to initial statements from a hospital source.

The radioman, who maintains a nightly, hard-hitting public affairs segment, described the would-be assailants in their 20s. He said the gunmen did not wear masks and fled in a still unknown direction after the attack.

Estanio said the motives could be personal grudge or related to his media work.

But he tended to believe that the attempt on his life was job-related–specifically in the wake of his strong commentary against illegal gambling.

He recalled that three days before the attack, an unnamed person warned him to go easy on illegal game machines proliferating in the city.

“I did not mind it thinking it wasn’t that serious,” he said of the threat.

Illegal game machines locally known as “tolilong” (fruit games) and “video karera” (horse-racing) are said to earn as much as P200,000 per week in the city alone.

Police sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said the illegal game machines have largely escaped the arm of the law because their wealthy financiers have been enjoying the protection of scalawag policemen and local politicians. SFM