LEGAZPI CITY — Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFMS) executive director and Communications Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco on Wednesday said he would personally see to it that the Philippine National Police (PNP) would resolve the killing of Albay broadcaster Joey Llana, the ninth member of the media killed in Bicol.
“I am here to strengthen our determination to solve and bring justice to Llana’s killing and solve other incidence of media killings,” Egco said.
He said he would talk with Llana’s relatives and media personalities close to the victim to personally ask them to share with him information that would help in the resolution of the case.
“To the relatives and media who are adamant to give information to the authorities, I urge them to approach me anytime, as I assure them that this would create results, ” Egco said.
“I understand that there would be delays but there would be no zero results,” he added.
Llana’s murder brought to 170 the number of media-related killings recorded in the country. Most of the victims were broadcasters and block timers.
Egco, citing previous records, said most of the media-related killings were due to exposé on dirty politics, corruption, and vulnerable media practices.
He said “my intention is to bring justice to Llana, this is a complicated problem at hand but questions are to be answered.. may kinalaman ba ito sa politica, corruption o personal (whether the killing has something to do with politics, corruption or personal)”.
Llana was laid to rest today, Thursday, but police investigators are still facing a blank wall as to the identities of his killers and the motive of the crime.
Chief Superintendent Arnel Escobal, regional director of the Bicol Police Regional Office (PRO-5), at a news conference on Wednesday said police investigators on the murder of Llana were still establishing leads on the possible identities of the gunmen.
He said while there were some vital pieces of evidence gathered, no witness has so far surfaced to shed light on the case.
Escobal also said that in the case conference held on Wednesday, investigators had so far established that there were at least three gunmen that carried out the attack based on a ballistic test result.
PNP crime laboratory ballistic examination result reveals that 9-mm spent shells and a .45 caliber cartridge, including slugs, were found at the crime scene.
Escobal, however, assured the relatives of the victim and members of the press that creation of the Special Investigation Task Group Llana (SITGL) would vigorously pursue the case and apply the full force of the law to get the perpetrators, including the mastermind behind the killing. (Mar Serrano/PNA)
