Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal, CALABARZON police director, quoting investigation reports reaching his office, ruled out the involvement of the communist rebels in the murder of broadcaster Apolinario "Pule" Pobeda, 35, of dwTI, a local radio station based in Lucena City.
"Our investigation is now more focused on the involvement of local politicians and not the NPA rebels," Caringal told The STAR.
Pobeda was on his way to host his early morning radio program aboard his motorcycle when two armed men waylaid him at a railroad crossing in Barangay Cotta, Lucena on Saturday. Firing twice to the body, the suspects armed with caliber .45 pistols approached the already mortally wounded victim after he fell from his motorbike and finished him off with five shots to the head.
"We are now reviewing tapes of his past radio programs for us to have a clearer picture on who among the local key personalities have the strongest motive to have him killed," Caringal said.
Caringal said that as a radio commentator, Pobeda incurred the ire of several politicians in the province, for using his radio program to attack them. "What we are certain in our investigation is that the killers were hired goons, paid by the mastermind to have Pobeda silenced," Caringal said.
As to the mastermind, Caringal said that local police probers are now conducting an open-ended probe to establish their identities.
"Posibleng ang kalaban ng politiko na madalas niyang (Pobeda) birahin sa radio ang umupa para patahimikin siya. Alam mo naman palapit na ang elections," Caringal said.
In a related development, a club owner in Calamba City survived an ambush staged by unidentified men in the city Sunday evening.
The victim was identified as Dato Noprada, KTV club owner. He is now confined at an undisclosed hospital in Calamba for several gunshots wound.
Reports said that Noprada was waylaid about 10:30 p.m. in front of Llanas Superstore along Parian road in Calamba. — Jaime Laude