Newsmen Survive attack in Quezon

LUCENA CITY – Two men on a motorcycle shot and wounded a broadcaster while he was driving on the highway with a colleague to a radio station here where they were to host a hard-hitting program yesterday morning.

Superintendent Nelson Lequin, Lucena City police chief, said Delfin Mallari, 47, who sustained two gunshot wounds on the left side of his body, was declared out of danger by doctors at Medical Mission Group Hospital in the city.

His partner, Johnny Glorioso, 61, was unscathed.

Lequin said Mallari and Glorioso were on their way to radio station dwTI for their daily radio program when the gunmen on a motorcycle started to tail them on the highway in Barangay Ibabang Dupay at around 7:40 a.m.

When they reached the Quezon Metropolitan Water District, a few hundred meters away from their radio station, the motorcycle overtook their car on the left side and the gunmen shot Mallari twice with a caliber 45 pistol, he added.

At Malacañang, President Arroyo ordered the Lucena City police to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the attack on Mallari and Glorioso.

On the other hand, Philippine National Police chief Director

General Oscar Calderon relieved yesterday Lequin as Lucena police chief and replaced him with Superintendent Marcos Badilla Jr. as officer-in-charge.

Lequin was removed for his apparent failure to strictly implement the "No Plate, No Travel" after Calderon received reports that the motorcycle carrying the two gunmen who shot Mallari had no license plates.

Director Geary Barias, Task Force USIG commander, reported to Calderon that a composite illustrator from the Regional Special Operations Group under Superintendent Roger James Brillantes has produced a sketch of the gunmen based on descriptions from witnesses.

Glorioso said the motorcycle, a red Yamaha with no license plates, had been following them from the time they boarded Mallari’s car at the city proper.

"I noticed that two slender men with caps on a motorcycle started to tail us from the shop where we had the car repaired," he told The STAR in Filipino.

"I was surprised when I suddenly heard two shots and heard Sonny (Mallari) yelling that he had been hit."

Glorioso said he saw one of the gunman returning his gun into its holster as the motorcycle sped towards an "unknown direction."

"If I were carrying a gun, I could have returned fire, but there was a Comelec gun ban so I did not bring my gun," he said.

Glorioso said he immediately pulled out the wounded Mallari from the car and hailed a passing vehicle, which took them to the nearest hospital.

" We’re sure that this is work related and politically motivated," he said.

He and Mallari had been received numerous death threats before yesterday’s attempt on their lives, he added.

Mallari and Glorioso are also co-publishers of the local weekly newspaper, Ang Dyaryo Natin.

Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan Jr., CALABARZON police director, ordered the Quezon police to conduct an in-depth investigation on the case and arrest the gunmen as soon as possible.

Senior Superintendent Mark Edison Belarma of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was tasked to investigate the attempt on Mallari.

Meanwhile, police said they have already a lead on the killing of Radio ng Bayan reporter Carmelo "Mark" Palacios, who was found dead along Fort Magsaysay highway in Barangay Mapalad, Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent Allen Bantolo, Nueva Ecija police director, said police have already identified the suspected killer of Palacios, but declined to name their suspect.

"As of now, we are focused on where the victim went and who was the last person he had talked to," he said.

Bantolo said Task Force Palacios has gathered that the slain journalist had a conversation with a person on Tuesday when last seen by witnesses.

Palacios was not shot but was struck by a hard object, probably a baseball bat, he added.

Dr. Jun Concepcion, who conducted the autopsy, said Palacios sustained a broken jaw, broken teeth and had several injuries in different parts of his body.

Palacios had fractures caused by blunt objects and what appeared to be a wound on his chin, but not a gunshot wound, he added.

Barias said the murder of Palacios could be an offshoot of his being a hard-hitting, no nonsense reporter and anti-crime crusader.

In Cebu City, ABS-CBN radio station manager Leo Lastimosa was charged with libel by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia because of his

supposed exposés on alleged scams committed during the preparations for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations there, according to Nonoy Espina, director of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.

"(We) condemn these latest assaults on our colleagues and on press freedom as a whole," he said.

"The assaults on journalists and not just press freedom but freedom of expression and the people’s right to know as well, have been coming more often and becoming more brazen." — with Ed Amoroso, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marvin Sy, Ric Sapnu, Artemio Dumlao