The three men were described by police as contract killers, who barged into the home of radio broadcaster Juan Jumalon and fatally shot him as he was airing live on Nov. 5, 2023 in Misamis Occidental.
From the start, however, the arrest of the three seemed to be built on shaky ground, with no motive established and witnesses unable to provide a positive identification. Fingerprints at the murder scene reportedly did not match those of the three men.
Last March 18, Judge Michael Ajoc of the Calamba Regional Trial Court Branch 36 acquitted Jolito Mangompit, Reynante Saja Bongcawel and Boboy Sagaray Bongcawel of the murder of Jumalon, known on radio as Johnny Walker.
Boboy Bongcawel, who allegedly pointed a gun at Jumalon’s gatekeeper, proved in court that he could not have participated in the killing because he had suffered a stroke in 2020 that partially disabled the left part of his body.
Judge Ajoc noted that Reynante Bongcawel, accused as the lookout and driver of the getaway vehicle, was indicted mainly because he was a Facebook friend of Boboy, with pictures of the two of them posted online.
Ajoc also ruled that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Mangompit was the gunman.
In his ruling, Ajoc chided the Philippine National Police and the prosecution.
“When a wrong person is brought to trial, it not only defeats the several purposes of our criminal justice system but rubs a grain of salt into the wounds sustained by the grieving family of the murdered victim,” the judge ruled. “May the authorities exert all their efforts, time and money to look after the real killers and mastermind of the callous murder of Juan T. Jumalon and give his family the justice they deserve.”
Jumalon aired his morning program on 94.7 Calamba Gold FM from his home in Calamba town. The brazen murder drew national attention, which could have put pressure on the police to solve it ASAP.
Solving a crime, however, should never mean picking up fall guys. As the judge pointed out, this means the real killers are still out there, perhaps preparing to commit another murder.