Man assaults news publisher

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  -- A publisher and editor of a newspaper in Iloilo was attacked by still unidentified persons Wednesday evening in front of his office at Viosils Arcade at M.H. del Arcade, Brgy. Taal, Molo district in this city.

Lemuel Fernandez, of the Western Visayas Daily Guardian newspaper, was about to board his Ford Everest SUV (license plate FGJ-487) when someone from behind struck a hard object on the back of his head.

Fernandez and the paper's executive editor, Francis Allan Angelo, were planning to have dinner at a nearby Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center when the incident happened.

Angelo had just boarded his own car when he heard a shout for help from Fernandez, who he saw was holding on to his bloodied head.

Angelo said he was about to chase the attacker, who he saw running toward the nearby John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University, but he chose to help the injured Fernandez first.

Another man, who Angelo presumed to be a companion of the assailant by serving as a lookout, was also seen running from the scene toward the University of the Philippines - Visayas campus.

Angelo said he tried to ask for help from the building's guard but the latter was not on his post, and then to one of the newspaper's employees who was still inside their office located at the building's ground floor. They then rushed Fernandez to the Iloilo St. Paul's Hospital.

Police Regional Office-Region 6 director, Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., said an interim force, Task Force Guardian, has been formed already to investigate the incident, identify and arrest the assailants of the newspaper executive.

Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) chief Senior Supt. Marietto Valerio said that he tasked Supt. Noel Lamsis to head the task force. For now, the task force is now investigating all possible angles such as recent delicate issues that Fernandez's newspaper has tackled, said Valerio.

Investigators are also looking at the possibility that the incident has something to do with Fernandez's work as media consultant of the Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC). (FREEMAN)