Assassins’ bullets fell another radioman

LUCENA CITY, Quezon — Another hard-hitting broadcaster is dead.

Thirty-five-year-old Apolinario Pobeda was on his way to radio station dwTI-AM, owned by Conamor Broadcasting Co., here at about 6 a.m. yesterday when two motorcycle-riding men gunned him down.

Senior Superintendent Ricardo Padilla, Quezon police director, said Pobeda, who was himself riding a motorcycle, was about to cross the railroad tracks in Barangay Cotta when the gunmen got near him and shot him seven times — five in the head and two in the body — with a caliber .45 pistol.

Pobeda is the second broadcaster felled by assassin’s bullets in nearly three weeks. Last April 29, John Villanueva Jr., 53, an announcer of Legazpi City’s radio station dzGB, was shot dead by still unidentified assailants.

Also on April 29, Davao City radioman Juan "Jun" Pala survived a second attempt on his life.

About 39 journalists have been murdered in the Philippines since democracy was restored in 1986. No one has been convicted for any of the slayings.

Police said Pobeda had received several death threats because of his hard-hitting commentaries against politicians and police officials.

"Okay naman si Poly (Pobeda). He even visited me regularly in my office kahit binabanatan niya ako (even if he was criticizing me)," Padilla said.

"He even attacked the mayor, the governor and other local officials here, but I’m not accusing anyone until the investigation is over," he added.

Radio station dwTI-AM has been closed for several months now upon the order of Lucena City Mayor Ramon Talaga, for lack of necessary permits.

Pobeda and Talaga had reportedly been at odds since the 1998 local elections when Tito Ojeda, president and general of dwTI, shifted political support from Talaga to Bernard Tagarao, the mayor’s rival in the electoral race.

Tagarao defeated Talaga in the mayoral poll, but was unseated by the latter in recall elections.

Ojeda accused Talaga of having a hand in Pobeda’s killing. "He is one of our suspects and he should be investigated," he said.

But Talaga denied the allegations. "Kagagawan yan ng mga kalaban ko sa pulitika para mapagbintangan ako (That’s the handiwork of my political enemies so I would be blamed)," he told The STAR in a phone interview.

"Dalawang taon ng akong tinitira ni Poly. Ever since, hindi ko siya pinatulan. Ngayon ko pa ba maiisip na patayin siya? (Poly had been hitting for two years. Ever since, I did not make a move against him. Why should I think of killing him now?)" he said.

Talaga added: "Ginawa nilang sacrificial lamb si Poly para ibintang sa akin ang krimen (They made Poly a sacrificial lamb so I would be blamed for the crime)."

Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal, Calabarzon police director and a long-time friend of Pobeda, has ordered Superintendent Danilo Siongco, Lucena City police chief, to personally supervise the investigation.

In a phone interview, Siongco said two witnesses are now in their custody and that Pobeda’s wife Rowena and Ojeda are closely working with investigators.

"Actually, he had a buddy, who also acted as his bodyguard. But his partner was not around yesterday because he was on a two-week leave)," he said.

Siongco said Pobeda had indeed received death threats in the past weeks from unknown callers. — With Jaime Laude and Rene Alviar