Pacquiao aide shoots radioman

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — A former Army sergeant who is a bodyguard of world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is being hunted down for shooting and critically wounding a General Santos City radio reporter yesterday.

The victim, Jonathan "Jun" Abayon, 27, a senior reporter of dxBB RGMA Super Radyo, is in serious condition for a gunshot wound in the head at the General Santos Doctors’ Hospital.

Police said the shooting occurred at about 3:30 a.m. while Abayon and suspect William Bael were inside the vehicle of their mutual friend, businessman Gonzalo Lopez.

Police said Bael, who was seated at the back, shot Abayon from behind with a caliber .45 pistol.

Lopez said they had come from a drinking spree in Pacquiao’s house in Barangay Labangal here.

He told probers that the two had a verbal tussle prior to the shooting. He, however, could not give details, except saying that he overheard them teasing each other as "bayot" (gay).

Pacquiao told The STAR that Abayon joined them after a gathering of the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood at the Sydney Hotel here, where the former was a guest of honor. Pacquiao and Bael belong to the fraternity.

"Sumama sa amin si Jun Abayon pauwi ng bahay kasi alam niyang mag-videoke kami (Jun Abayon went with us after learning that we would go to a videoke)," he said.

Cris Guarin, manager of dxBB RGMA Super Radyo, said Superintendent Willie Dangane, city police chief, invited Abayon to the Guardians’ affair.

The RGMA management has asked local authorities to dig deeper into the incident, noting that Abayon had criticized Pacquiao when the boxing champ went wild in a music lounge here last year.

This was the third time that Pacquiao’s bodyguards have figured in a controversy. The first incident took place in August 2001 when Pacquiao’s uncle-bodyguard Ernesto Madidis, a former Army sergeant, fatally shot a man who had stabbed his son.

The incident involving Abayon was the latest in a series of violent attacks on journalists in recent days. Three journalists have been killed so far this year, the latest of whom was newspaper and radio reporter Arnnel Manalo who was shot dead in Bauan, Batangas last week.

Crusading Ilocos Norte radio commentator Rogelio Mariano was killed on July 31 after completing a broadcast over Radyo Natin-Radyo Aksyon.

Last month, a radio journalist was also shot dead in General Santos City, also because of his work.

Meanwhile, unknown gunmen opened fire on two radiomen and a friend in Cebu City last Thursday night. They survived the attack after returning fire. — Edith Regalado, Christina Mendez and AFP