Iligan radio critic survives slay try

ILIGAN CITY – A hard-hitting radio commentator was shot and critically wounded yesterday morning by an unidentified man near a school here.

Police investigators identified the victim as Jose “Joe” Pantoja, in his early 40’s, and a block time radio commentator on dxLS FM “Love Radio.”

Pantoja, who was on board his motorcycle, had just dropped his daughter off at school and made a brief stop at a copying center near the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in Tibanga highway to have some documents duplicated.

A gunman wearing a bonnet sneaked up from behind and shot him point blank with a .45 caliber pistol, hitting him thrice on the stomach.

The assailant fled and boarded a waiting getaway motorcycle parked nearby and driven by a bonnet-wearing cohort.

Pantoja was rushed to the nearby Mindanao Sanitarium and Hospital where doctors have declared him in critical condition.

Iligan City mayor Lawrence Lluch Cruz instructed Police Director Senior Superintendent Virgilio Ranes to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

City officials and different media groups here condemned the shooting and considered the incident as an affront to press freedom.

Police are looking into several angles in their investigation to determine the motives behind the shooting. – AFP