Witnesses tag suspect as killer of Bicol radioman

LEGAZPI CITY — At least three witnesses, whose identities have been withheld by the authorities, have positively identified an arrested suspect as one of the two men who gunned down broadcaster Rowell Endrinal last year.

The suspect, Clarito Arizobal Jr., was presented to President Arroyo at the arrival lounge of the Legazpi City airport the other day.

After commending the PNP for Arizobal’s arrest, Mrs. Arroyo called on the media to help change the "culture of violence" hounding the Filipino society.

"Palitan na natin ang culture of violence. At nakikiusap tayo sa media na tumulong to turn around the culture of violence sa ating society (Let us change the culture of violence. And we are appealing to the media to help turn around the culture of violence in our society)," the President said.

Superintendent Pedro Tango Jr., head of Task Force Newsman, said at least two of the police witnesses and another one from the National Bureau of Investigation have positively identified Arizobal as one of Endrinal’s two killers.

One of the witnesses appeared during the media presentation and tagged Arizobal as one of those he saw having breakfast in an eatery shortly before the broadcaster was shot dead.

The witness said he saw Arizobal fleeing with a handgun after the gunslaying.

Endrinal was shot point-blank at about 6:30 a.m. of Feb. 11 last year a few meters away from his house in Barangay Oro Site here.