P.5 million reward up for Cagayan De Oro radio broadcaster killer’s arrest

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — A reward of P500,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the killer of radio broadcaster Federico “Ding” Gempesaw.

Members of the Padayon Pilipino, a local political party, is raising the bounty to speed up the arrest of the gunmen and bring justice to the family of the victim, Misamis Occidental second district Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano said yesterday.

He decried the killing of Gempesaw as an act of cowardice, saying the culprits could not handle criticism from the media.

Two masked motorcycle-riding gunmen shot Gempesaw as he alighted from his taxi cab in front of his house in Macanhan, Carmen on Wednesday.

Two bullet shells for a caliber .45 pistol were recovered at the scene.

Maj. Mario Mantala, Carmen police station chief, said probers are collating video footage of closed-circuit television cameras along the escape route of the suspects.

Frank Mendez, president of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, called for the early resolution of the killing even as he exhorted the local media to unite to denounce and resist press censorship.

Gempesaw, a hard-hitting commentator, hosted the block time program ”Bitayan sa kahanginan” over local radio station Radyo Natin FM CDO.