CamSur radio reporter wounded in shooting; politics eyed as motive

Barely had authorities claimed to have solved the first media killing under the Aquino administration when a radio announcer was shot and wounded in Camarines Sur in the Bicol region Friday night. Senior Superintendent Jonathan Ablang on Saturday identified the victim as Miguel Belen, a 48-year-old field reporter for dwEB FM Station headquartered in Nabua town. Initial investigation showed Belen was driving his red motorcycle home when a gunman shot him along Zone 3 in Barangay San Jose Pagaraon in Nabua at about 8:30 p.m. He was rushed to a hospital in Iriga City. Recovered from the crime scene were four empty shells and a slug for a 45-cal. pistol. Two other slugs were later recovered from the victim's lower garment. Ablang said his office had received information that the victim was an "active" campaigner of a congressional candidate in the province for the May 10 automated elections. "Looking at his affiliation, he somehow became the leader or some sort of a supporter of a local candidate," he said, adding the politician whom Belen campaigned for won in the congressional race. The police official however said they have yet to interview possible witnesses to the shooting, and that inbestigators are also checking if the rival of the victorious congressman that Belen supported had a hand in the attack. It turned out that the victim used to work for the rival candidate who lost in the May 10 polls. "Dating tao iyon ng kabila, iyong kalaban noong congressman na nanalo ngayon. Bumaliktad siya during the elections. So parang may axe to grind agaist him yung isang partido," Ablang said. The victim's cellular phone will be checked to identify the people who called him up before the shooting. Ablang said that a task force has already been formed to investigate the incident, even as security personnel have been detailed to Belen. According to him, it was unlikely the attack on Belen was connected to his work as a journalist, adding: "Hindi naman siya hard-hitting na media man, eh. So mukhang hindi [work related and kaso]." First case 'solved' Earlier on Saturday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) claimed to have solved the first killing of a media practitioner under the Aquino administration, saying cattle rustlers were behind it. [see: Cattle rustlers behind 1st media killing under Noynoy admin] PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said the rustlers shot dead Jose Daguio because they suspected he was snitching on them. But he did not give further details, or even name the suspects. He also did not elaborate if Daguio was reporting the cattle rustling in media. He would only say the case was "solved" and that they had filed the proper charges. "Na-solve na natin, na-file natin ng demanda (We solved the case, we filed the necessary charges)," he said. Daguio, 75, was shot at close range with a 12-gauge shotgun inside his house in Barangay Tuga, Tabuk City last Saturday. — with a report by Mark Merueñas/LBG, GMANews.TV