Man questioned over slay of broadcaster's daughter

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – Police have invited a man for questioning over what many have bewailed as the “senseless killing” of a nurse-daughter of a female broadcaster here Thursday morning.

Superintendent Luis Mariano Verzosa Jr., city police chief, said the man was also subjected to a paraffin test while his caliber .38 pistol and its empty cartridge were turned over to the police crime laboratory for ballistic examination.

Verzosa said the man gave conflicting statements to investigators when he was invited for questioning over the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Zharlene Yadao late Thursday afternoon, or several hours after the incident.

A tipster pointed to the man after he overheard the latter’s alleged plan.

That fateful day, Yadao reported for her last day as clinical instructor of Colegio de Dagupan. She also worked at the Medical Centrum in Barangay Tambac here as a volunteer/reliever nurse.

She was walking home from the hospital past 4 a.m., as she often did as part of her exercise since her residence was just near, when two motorcycle-riding men struck her on the head presumably with the nozzle of a gun and then shot her in the left shoulder, with the bullet piercing her vital organs.

Yadao, the second child of Aksyon Radyo Pangasinan program host and commentator Susan Yadao, was set to fly to Saudi Arabia to work as a nurse next month.

“We have a good lead,” Verzosa said, adding that the man invited for questioning had a gun because of the nature of his work.

But when asked about his gun’s empty cartridge, Verzosa said he gave conflicting statements.

“But coincidentally, he admitted that he accidentally fired the gun on the same day the murder happened,” he said.

Verzosa said the paraffin and ballistic test results will be out in three days.

Gov. Amado Espino Jr. urged the police to look into the case thoroughly, saying that he and his family and other Pangasinenses are mourning the senseless killing of the young Yadao.