Dagupan radioman shot, wounded

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – A radio commentator was wounded in an attack by an unidentified assailant near his home in Barangay Pantal before dawn yesterday.

Orly Navarro of dwIZ News Radio Dagupan was taken by a tricycle driver to the Pangasinan Medical Center for treatment of a bullet wound in the back.

Navarro was on his way home from a meeting with his friends at the Star Plaza Hotel when the attack occurred at around 1 a.m. He was crossing Kalye 29 along Nable street when he was shot.

Police said the gunman, who might have been waiting for Navarro, fled after the incident.

No bullet shells were recovered from the crime scene.

Navarro is a former president of the Pangasinan Press and Radio Club.

Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino Jr. urged authorities to conduct a deeper probe of the incident.

“This is another black eye for us,” Espino told journalists after learning about the incident.

Aside from the local police, Espino asked the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to look into the case. 

Navarro’s daughter Matet said her father could still speak as of yesterday afternoon as he was waiting for doctors to remove the bullet from his back.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) Pangasinan chapter, led by Yolanda Sotelo, condemned the attack on Navarro.

It said Navarro has been campaigning against illegal drug activities in his village and in the city.

The NUJP urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the case and protect media practitioners.

Jay Mendoza, station manager of dzRD Sonshine Radio Dagupan and president of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas-Pangasinan chapter, condemned the attack and described it as treacherous and barbaric. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe