BY RANIE AZUE and MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – Motorcycle-riding suspects opened fire at a radio broadcaster’s house at Carmela Valley Homes in Barangay Zone 12-A, Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
Nobody was hurt, police said.
The house was owned by 104.7 FM Muews Radio Negros anchorman Reynaldo “Rey” Siason.
Police said four assailants on board two motorcycles were responsible for shooting the second floor of Siason’s house around 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
Siason was not home at the time, only his 16-year-old daughter, mother-in-law and four other family members who said they heard at least three gunshots.
Siason learned about the shooting when his daughter called him, he told the police.
He added that on Tuesday night, two motorcycle-riding men followed him home while on board the vehicle of Muews Radio Negros production manager Bambi Yngson.
Siason said his family was traumatized after Wednesday night’s strafing incident.
“Indi na ini insakto. Gaubra lang ko ya sang husto,” he stressed.
Officers from the Talisay City police station recovered two empty shells, two deformed slugs and seven bullet fragments of a .45-caliber gun at the house’s ceilings and walls.
The Negros Press Club (NPC) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)-Bacolod on Thursday condemned the attack.
“While no one was hurt, we believe the act is despicable and an affront to members of the Fourth Estate. It is also an assault against press freedom,” said NPC president Renato “Boy” Duran.
While tagging the attack as a “threat to democracy,” NUJP-Bacolod president Marchel Espina called for a “swift investigation.”
Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office director Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil said on Thursday that he already directed Talisay City police head Superintendent Boots Aseo to look into all angles of the case.
Aseo, in response, vowed a “thorough” investigation. (With a report from PNA/PN)
