Davao court convicts radioman's killer

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) said yesterday it has scored anew in its legal campaign against the killings of journalists with the conviction of the gunman in the slay of a radioman in Davao del Sur.

Joy Anticamara was found guilty of homicide and sentenced to 17 years in jail by Digos City Regional Trial Court Branch 20 for gunning down Armando Pace, program host and commentator of Radyo Ukay dxDS, on July 18, 2006.

The decision was handed down by Judge Albert Axalan last Wednesday, according to Task Force 211, the body created by the DOJ to monitor the investigation and handle the prosecution of cases involving the killings of journalists and activists in the country.

Pace, 51, known for his hard-hitting commentaries against local politicians, was shot in the head and chest by a motorcycle-riding man while he was on his way home aboard his motorcycle.

During the trial, a witness positively identified Anticamara as the gunman.

Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, who chairs Task Force 211, welcomed the court’s decision.

“This is the second conviction among the cases Task Force 211 has been monitoring since we started operation in November 2007. The conviction of Joy Anticamara shall hopefully become an effective deterrent to the spate of media killings,” he said in a statement.

He also lauded the efforts of other agencies in supporting their task force.

Blancaflor said their combined efforts were also instrumental in the resolution of the killings of Dennis Cuesta, Martin Roxas, Bert Sison and Arecio Padrigao. – Edu Punay