• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) is now spearheading an investigation into the killing of a community radio block timer, who was shot and killed on March 20 by a still unidentified gunman at Sitio Lapak Kawayanan in Barangay Robles, La Castellana, Negros Occidental.
PLt. Col. Joem Malong, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office – Negros Island Region, said the newly-activated SITG is presently conducting extensive CCTV backtracking operations across La Castellana, La Carlota City, and adjacent areas to establish the movement, entry, and escape routes of the suspect, who was riding a white Sports Utility vehicle.
The victim, identified by the police as Julio (Jaz) Calo, succumbed to a gunshot wound in the head.
Calo, a radio blocktimer of 88.3 DNN News FM, was declared dead on arrival at the La Castellana Rural Health Unit, according to the town police.
PCapt. Jose Michael Nunez, deputy La Castellana police chief, disclosed that Calo was shot by the gunman at close range, hitting him on the lower portion of his right eye, which exited at the back of his head.
A slug of still undetermined caliber of firearm was recovered at the crime scene by the police.
Based on the testimonies of his live-in partner who witnessed the incident, Munez said the victim approached the vehicle that stopped in front him, before he was killed.
He raised the possibility that victim may have known the persons inside the vehicle.
Calo, also a job order employee of the Himamaylan City government in the neighboring La Castellana town, was arrested and jailed in 2018, for violation of sections 5 and 11 of RA 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002. He was however freed from jail after pleading guilty to the offense, Munez recalled.
Malong said the PNP regional support units have also been mobilized to augment ground operations, including the establishment of strategic checkpoints and dragnet operations along possible escape corridors. These measures are aimed at restricting suspect mobility and generating actionable intelligence for immediate law enforcement action.
She added that the ongoing investigation is focused on determining the motive behind the incident, including possible personal, professional, or targeted attack angles, while intelligence units are working to identify all individuals involved, including possible accomplices.
In a statement, PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, regional police director of Negros Island Region, also emphasized the urgency of the operation and the accountability of ground commanders, stressing that he expects result, on what he described as a deliberate act of violence.
Ibay also ordered the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office to exhaust all investigative and operational means to identify and arrest the perpetrator at the soonest possible time and ensure that no lead is left unpursued.*
