• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A special investigation task group (SITG) is spearheading an investigation into the killing of a community radio blocktimer in La Castellana, Negros Occidental on March 20.
The victim, Julio “Jaz” Calo, was shot in the head by an unidentified gunman outside his house in Sitio Lapak Kawayanan, Barangay Robles.
PLt. Col. Joem Malong, spokesperson of Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), said the SITG is conducting extensive backtracking of videos captured by closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
The operations cover areas across La Castellana, La Carlota City, and adjacent places to establish the movement, entry, and escape routes of the assailant, who was on board a white sports utility vehicle.
Calo, a blocktimer of 88.3 DNN News FM, was declared dead on arrival at the La Castellana Rural Health Unit.
PCapt. Jose Michael Nuñez, deputy police chief of La Castellana, said that Calo was shot at close range, and a slug of a yet to be determined caliber of firearm was recovered at the crime scene.
Based on the testimony of Calo’s live-in partner, who witnessed the incident, the victim approached the vehicle that stopped in front him before he was killed.
It is possible that the victim may have known the persons inside the vehicle, Nuñez said.
Calo, who is also a job order employee of the Himamaylan City government, was arrested and jailed in 2018 for violation of Sections 5 and 11 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
He was freed from jail after pleading guilty to the offense, Nuñez said.
In a statement, PRO-NIR Director PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay emphasized the urgency of the operation and the accountability of ground commanders.
He said 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. | GB
