Gunman in radio broadcaster's slay try gets 6 years

MANILA, Philippines - A Makati City court has found the gunman in the foiled assassination of a Cagayan de Oro City-based radio broadcaster guilty of frustrated murder.

Judge Perpetua Atal-Paño sentenced the accused, Bernardo Aguilar, to six years imprisonment for shooting Nilo Labares, former chief of reporters and anchor of dxCC-Radio Mindanao Network.

Aside from the jail term, the court also ordered Aguilar to pay Labares P275,000 in damages. 

In handing the decision, the judge gave weight to the positive identification of the accused and testimony of witnesses that Aguilar was the one who shot Labares on March 5, 2009.

“The testimony of the witnesses convincingly established that the accused shot the complainant with intent to kill,” the decision read.

Aguilar and his lawyer also failed to attend two consecutive hearings set for the presentation of the defense’s evidence and witnesses.

On Aug. 10, 2009, the Supreme Court’s Third Division granted the transfer of the trial of the case against Aguilar and his accomplices from Branch 21 of the Cagayan de Oro Regional Trial Court to the Makati RTC on the grounds that the security of the witnesses were being threatened.

The broadcaster had received death threats prior to the ambush. Labares believed that the attempt on his life was work-related after he exposed the illegal gambling activities such as video karera and cockfighting in Cagayan de Oro.