Land dispute has been identified by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the possible motive in the fatal shooting of journalist Jesus Malabanan on Dec. 8 in Calbayog City, Samar.
In a statement on Tuesday, the PNP regional office said the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) “Malabanan” have taken affidavits from several witnesses and footages of closed-circuit television in the area during a conference on December 13.
“The group has discounted the case to be work-related and drug-related. Accordingly, the statements of witnesses having been interviewed by investigators can be analyzed that the biggest possible motive of the killing is personal grudge attributable to a land dispute,” the PNP said.
PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director Brig. Gen. Rommel Bernardo Cabagnot ordered the task force to double its efforts to resolve the case.
“I look forward that before the year ends, the suspects are already identified and arrested,” he added.
Malabanan, 58, worked as a correspondent of Manila Standard based in Pampanga. His wife is from Samar province.
He was shot in the head while watching television inside their store in San Joaquin village, Tinambacan District in Calbayog by motorcycle riding-in-tandem gunmen on December 8 at around 6:30 p.m.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Calbayog, a city in Samar province has been known for killings. The most publicized this year is the shooting of Mayor Ronaldo Aquino on March 8, 2021.
The incident has also killed five others, including his security personnel, his driver, a civilian said to have been caught in the crossfire, and two anti-narcotics policemen.
Source: Philippines News Agency
