PRO1 FORMS SITG

THE police have started to pursue investigative leads and identified persons of interest in connection with the slaying last November 10 of Virgilio “Vir” Maganes, columnist at the Northern Watch newspaper and formerly a block time commentator of DWPR, in Barangay San Blas, Villasis town.

Undersecretary Joel Egco of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security who came to Villasis on Wednesday, November 11, for a case conference said he and the members of the SITG and P/Brig. Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr, Police Regional Office 1 director, have agreed to make the Maganes case their top priority in the region.

“I’m happy with how the case is progressing. We have identified POIs, persons of interests, ” Egco said.

He said they are eyeing three possible motives, namely, internal squabble, old grudge and politics.

“Of course it’s clear here there was so much anger regarding the old grudge that started possibly in politics or in internal squabble,” Egco said.

“It (old grudge) was too deep, look at the pattern, after his birthday,” he added.

Meanwhile, in a press statement on Wednesday, Azurin, who immediately formed the Special Investigation Task Group Maganes to lead the investigation and facilitate the speedy resolution of the case, said the police secured the CCTV camera near the crime scene.

Police Provincial Director Col. Redrico Maranan said initial investigation showed that Maganes, 62, was walking from a nearby store to his residence when he was gunned down by two still unidentified men wearing black jackets, riding in tandem on a motorcycle. He sustained six gunshot wounds on the head and body and died on the spot.

P/Major Christian Alucod, officer-in-charge of Villasis PNP, confirmed that the attack happened at around 6:30 a.m.

Azurin expressed PRO 1’s condemnation of the attack on Maganes, and described it as

representing a part of a shunned society where his works contributed to the call of public service, adding that Maganes’ murder “is a loss to the media community and the entire country.”

This was not the first time Maganes was attacked. In November 2016, Maganes was riding a tricycle when gunmen on board a motorcycle along Villasis-Asingan Road in Barangay Poblacion 1 ambushed him.  He survived the attack when he pretended to be dead that gave the gunmen reason to flee the scene.

Azurin urged the public to report any information relevant to the case to PNP {RP 1and the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office. (Leonardo Micua/Ahikam Pasion/Jerick Pasiliao)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments