SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews / 14 July) – The police here has formed a task force to probe deeper the slay attempt on a Surigao radio journalist.
The newly installed provincial police director of Surigao del Norte, Senior Supt. Anthony Maghari, told MindaNews that a task force has been convened for the first time on Thursday to solve the case of Saturnino “Jan” Estanio Jr., anchor of DXRS-RMN-Surigao.
Maghari, who was installed as chief of the province’s police office last Saturday, said he would spearhead the task force. “We need to conduct a thorough probe and find the suspects, including the mastermind of this case,” he said.
He said the task force is composed of representatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Surigao City PNP, Crime Laboratory and Police Provincial Office.
Maghari said they are now doing a facial sketch of the suspects based on eye witnesses.
Estanio, 41, suffered three gunshot wounds on his back during the gun attack by riding-in-tandem assailants last June 30 outside his house in Sitio Bioborjan, Barangay Rizal here.
Estanio’s 12-year-old son was hit by a bullet in the chest.
Estanio’s neighbor, Allan Tinambakan Canibel, 52, was also hit on his right shoulder. Canibel was just passing by when the gunmen fired at Estanio.
The three victims are now in stable condition and recuperating from gunshot wounds in an undisclosed location.
Estanio has been waging a campaign against illegal gambling, illegal drugs and criminality in his radio program.
Prior to the attack, Estanio claimed he had been receiving threats from a big-time operator of illegal game slot machines in the city.
“It’s been 14 days already that me and my son, including my neighbor, were shot and still not a single suspect has been arrested,” Estanio lamented.
“I’m thinking that my case will be among the unsolved cases like the other crimes that happened in Surigao,” he said.