Perya operation eyed in tabloid writer’s slay

ARAYAT, Pampanga, Philippines — Probers are looking at links to the operation of a perya or local carnival in the killing of a tabloid columnist-reporter in this town on Sunday.

Police officers and officials of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) examined footage from a surveillance camera, which indicated that Jupiter Gonzalez, 52, of Remate and his companion Christopher Tiongson were transacting with a person from a local carnival in the reporter’s car when they were shot.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was noted to have remained in the car for about four minutes before gunshots were heard.

The suspect was also seen alighting from the car and trying to push Gonzales from the driver’s seat, but the car sped off and crashed into a flower box.

PTFoMS Undersecretary Jose Joel Sy Egco, who also writes a column for Remate, had earlier said Gonzales was known for being a “staunch critic of illegal gambling proliferating in local carnivals.”

Egco said he coordinated with the Arayat police to speed up its investigation even as the PTFoMS conducts a parallel probe.

“The PTFoMS presumes any form of media violence as work-related until further investigation proves otherwise,” he said.