Mayor tagged ‘mastermind’: Killer of Ilocos radio broadcaster hunted

By Mar T. Supnad

LAOAG CITY -- Police have started a manhunt for the man who attacked and killed a radio broadcaster here Tuesday night along the national highway near the boundary of Bacarra town and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte even as a local politician has been tagged as the mastermind.

Senior Supt. Benito Estipona, Task Force Usig deputy chief, identified Leonardo Banaag Jr., alias Uno, as the alleged killer of Joselito Agustin, 37, anchorman of dzJC Aksyon Radyo-Laoag, sister station of dzRH of the Manila Broadcasting Co. Estipona said Banaag was identified by a companion of Agustin.

He said the motive has yet to be established, but investigators are looking into politics as one of the angles, since the victim used to criticize a local politician.

Estipona refused to name the politician pending further investigation.

He said a manhunt has been launched for Banaag after the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed murder and frustrated murder charges against him.

Meanwhile, the provincial police chief also said they are eyeing the local politician as master mind behind the brutal killing of Agustin who was shot dead Wednesday evening along the national highway in Barangay Barit, this city.

Ilocos Norte provincial director Police Senior Supt. Ulysses Abellera said in a text message with this correspondent that the killing of Jovelito Agustin of DZJC, was most probably job related since he is known as a hard-hitting broadcaster.

“We are looking at a local politician as probable suspect in the shooting to death of the victim.” Abellera, said, adding police are gathering evidence and convincing witnesses to talk about the killing of the broadcaster.

So as not to preempt the investigation, Abellera did not mention the name of the suspected mastermind but local newsmen said the suspect might be a mayor who is harboring a personal grudge against the broadcaster for his hard hitting commentaries against looters of local government coffers.

The killing of Agustin brought to three the number of murdered journalists in the province since 2004 after Roger Mariano, and Andy Acosta who also were broad caster in DZJC, were also shot dead in 2004 and 2006, respectively.

“We are still investigating the killing,” said Supt. Sterling Blanco, a veteran police investigator and incumbent chief of police here who is leading Laoag police in the probe..

As usual, the killers are suspected gun-for- hire that were paid by the mastermind. Hired killers’ services are easy to get provided you immediately pay their “professional fee” ranging from P20,000 to P50,000, it was learned.

Chief Supt. Constante Azares, Region 1 police director, designated Abellera’s deputy for operations Police Supt. Bienvenido C Rayco Jr as head of “Task Force Agustin.”

Agustin, 37, a resident of Barangay #36 Natba in Bacarra town, was on his way home from Laoag City onboard a motorcycle together with his 22-year old nephew Joseph Agustin, when two unidentified suspects riding in tandem on a motorcycle overtook them along the national highway in Barangay 55-A Barit of said city and shot the victim with Cal. 45 in the chest and body.

Police investigators recovered from the crime scene four pieces of spent shells and two pieces of slugs for caliber .45 pistol.

Task Force Agustin is looking into the possibility that the killing is related to the victim’s job as a broadcast media practitioner, but is not excluding other angles.

As this developed, PNP chief Jesus Versoza also directed the creation of a special investigating body to help the Laoag City PNP to look into the killing of the newsman. PNP spokesman Leonardo Espina said that General Versoza also wanted that all unit commanders in the provincial level will provide and secure media personnel who are under threat to ensure the safety of the journalists throughout the country.

Task Force Usig said the killing of Agustin and another radio broadcaster, Desiderio Camangyan from Davao Oriental, were the only incidents it has handled this year.

Camangyan, 52, anchorman of Sunrise FM radio in Mati, Davao Oriental, was the 101st journalist killed during the administration of President Arroyo.

Chief Insp. Henry Libay of Task Force Usig said they did not handle two other incidents, initially reported to be an attack on media practitioners, since the motive in one of the cases was a love triangle.

“In the second incident, it turned out that the victim was a jeepney driver and not a legitimate media practitioner,” he said.

“Officially, only the death of Agustin and Camangyan are being investigated by Task Force Usig.”

Last Jan. 7, Eugene Paet, a reporter of Commando Radio in Vigan City, was shot and wounded in Barangay Bulag Centro in Bantay town.