CEBU, Philippines — Authorities are still facing a blank wall in their investigation into the shooting of two radiomen in Cebu.
The Presidential Task Force for Media Security held a forum Thursday in Cebu with the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division (RIDMD) in Central Visayas giving updates on the cases of media personnel slain or those who received threats since 2018.
At least seven cases involving media personalities who were slain and attacked since 2018.
The latest victim of an attack was DYLA Radio blocktimer Rico Osmeña who was shot by two unidentified perpetrators on December 16, 2021.
Osmeña survived the attack. The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) then launched a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Osmeña.
The RIDMD-7 reported that the motive behind the attack remains undetermined while the perpetrators remain unidentified.
Police Captain Rico Emperwa of RIDMD case monitoring said that investigation is ongoing and added that the SITG Osmeña is set to hold another case conference soon.
Meanwhile, the case of the slain radio blocktimer and DYRB commentator Reynante Cortes, 45, was turned over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit on February 8, 2022.
This is after the SITG Cortes couldn’t find the substantial evidence that could lead to the identification of the unknown suspect, within six months after Cortes was gunned down.
Cortes was believed to be shot by a sniper in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City on July 22, 2021.
Meanwhile, a murder case was already filed against the suspect in the killing of Disc Jockey Rizalino Torralba who was shot dead in his rented room at Backpackers Inn in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
The accused, Andrew Fronteras, who charged of murder, voluntarily surrendered to authorities.
Further, like Cortes, the case of Cornello Pepino, a radio reporter in Dumaguete City, was also turned over to CIDG after the police failed to solve the case within six months under SITG.
Pepino was shot dead on May 5, 2020 while boarding a motorcycle.
Also, two suspects of the killing of another media blocktimer, Dindo Generoso, were also arrested last November 7, 2019, the day he was ambushed.
Another case where the suspects were identified but remained at-large was also monitored by the RIDMB involving the attack of an unregistered announcer, Grabriel Alburo, in La Libertad, Negros Oriental on December 28, 2018.
The task force has also encouraged all media practitioners to report any forms of threat encountered especially during this election season. -GMR (FREEMAN)