Police to form special task group to probe slay of journo Jess Malabanan

The Samar Police Provincial Office (PPO) on Thursday said it would create a special investigation task group to probe the killing of journalist Jess Malabanan in Calbayog City on Wednesday night.

“Ongoing po ang investigation (the investigation is ongoing) and SITG Malabanan will be created to focus on the investigation on the killing of journalist Jesus Malabanan in Calbayog City,” Samar PPO’s public information office chief Police Lieutenant Aileen Velarde told GMA News Online.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, said he would direct the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) to look into the “violent incident” as soon as possible.

“If it’s work-related, we’ll do a parallel investigation,” said Guevarra, chairperson of PTFoMS.

Police Regional Office 8 director Police Brigadier General Bernardo Cabagnot condemned the incident as he called on the public to coordinate with the police for the investigation.

“Ang pangyayaring ito’y lubos ikinalulungkot ng PRO8 (The PRO8 was saddened by this incident),” he said in a statement, adding the perpetrators showed lack of respect for the victim.

Malabanan, a correspondent for the Manila Standard, was shot in the head by motorcycle-riding gunmen while watching television inside his store in Barangay San Joaquin.

He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

“Initial verification by PTFoMS from the victim’s close friends and colleagues indicated that he had no known enemies and was not a hard-hitting journalist,” the task force said in a press statement. 

“PTFoMS has also learned that Malabanan was planning to stay for good in Samar to focus on his farm business.”

The PTFoMs, however, said Malabanan sought its assistance in 2017 and was promptly given police escort. — VBL, GMA News