DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental — A veteran broadcast journalist was shot several times in broad daylight Monday in the vicinity of his boarding house in Barangay Daro here.
Edmund Sestoso, the program anchor/commentator of “Tug-anan sa Power 91” of DYGB-FM, suffered three gunshot wounds to the chest and one on his leg, and was rushed to the Silliman University Medical Center.
An initial police report said Sestoso had just returned home from his radio program around 10:30 a.m. and has disembarked from a tricycle when the unidentified assailant came up and shot him several times.
The suspect fled on board a black motorcycle driven by another unidentified person going westward, the report said.
Dumaguete police chief Supt. Jonathan Pineda, in an interview, said police investigators are considering several angles in the attack against the radio anchor, but did not elaborate.
He said the police will do its best to bring justice to Sestoso, and identify and arrest the attackers.
“Himoon gyud nako, Ma’am, nga mahatagan ug hustisya ang biktima (I will do my best to bring justice to the victim, Ma’am),” said Pineda.
“Mu conduct mi ug investigation ug hatagan ug kasolbaran ang nahitabo karon (we will conduct an investigation and find answers to this incident),” he added.
As of press time, Sestoso was still fighting for his life.
Members of the Dumaguete media are reeling in shock over the incident as this is believed to be the first time that a practicing journalist has been shot by unknown suspects for unknown reasons.
Family members believed the shooting of Sestoso was work-related, as he was a simple and kind person who has no known enemy but had plenty of friends and followers. (Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA)
