Arrest warrants expected versus Jumalon killers

MALACAÑAN—THE Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) expects the Regional Trial Court of Misamis Occidental to soon issue the warrant of arrest for the three identified suspects in the killing last November 5, 2023, of Juan ‘DJ Johnny Walker’ Jumalon, the owner and anchor of Gold 94.7 FM community radio station in the town of Calamba.

Citing from the latest update of the case from SITG ground commander and Misamis Occidental Provincial Police director, P/Col/ Dwight Monato, PTFoMS executive director, Usec. Paul M. Gutierrez, said Provincial Prosecutor Dickie B. Gongob, had already approved the filing of the cases for murder and theft before the Misamis Occidental Regional Trial Court after establishing there is “reasonable certainty of conviction” of the suspects when the cases go on trial.

Just days after the incident, the SITG formed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) had already identified the suspects and submitted the complaint at the office of Gongob, Gutierrez noted.

However, a directive issued by Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla in March 2023 mandated all prosecutors to work closely with investigators in any criminal complaint and ensure the reasonable certainty of conviction of any suspect before filing the information to a court of jurisdiction. The directive is to ensure that no frivolous or “weak cases” would be filed by any prosecutor and ensure the delivery of justice to victims of heinous crimes.

“There is a reason for the delay in the filing of the cases but as this has been hurdled already, we are confident that justice would be soon served to Jumalon and his family with the issuance of the warrants for the suspects’ arrest,” the PTFoMS chief said.

Gutierrez again identified the suspects as alias ‘Ricky,’ ‘Inteng’ and ‘Boboy.’ The latter two would be charged with murder while an additional case of theft would be filed against Ricky.

He assured to reveal the suspects’ true identities as soon as the warrants for their arrest have been issued by the court.

Jumalon, 57, was anchoring his regular morning program via livestreaming past 5:00 AM when the suspects forcibly entered his family compound where his radio station is also located.

Alias Ricky went straight at Jumalon who was seated at the anchor’s chair and shot him at point blank range with a .45 caliber pistol. Ricky then grabbed Jumalon’s gold necklace before fleeing with his accomplices on board a motorcycle.

The killing, caught live on camera, drew widespread condemnation, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directing law enforcement agencies and the PTFoMS to not stop until the killing is solved.

Gutierrez also bared that in filing the information before the court, Gongob also approved the recommendation of attending prosecutor, Mark Jerome Labad, to deny the alibi presented by Inteng and Boboy to distance themselves from the incident.

Labad contended that their excuse for allegedly not being present during the attack on Jumalon should be better appreciated by the court in a full-blown trial.

All the suspects have been positively identified by witnesses with alias Ricky also being identified by the intelligence community as a former armed fighter of the communist New People’s Army (NPA). Records also show that alias Ricky has several standing warrants of arrest for murder, frustrated murder, and involvement in illegal drugs.

To further hasten the suspects’ arrest, Gutierrez said that with the help of the Apo Production Unit, the official printer of government forms, they managed to print 70,000 pieces of wanted flyers of the suspects. He said 40,000 pieces of the flyers have been shipped to the office of Monato in Oroquieta City for dissemination in Misamis Occidental and nearby areas.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), meanwhile, also agreed to disseminate the remaining 30,000 pieces of flyers in all of the country’s ports, especially in Mindanao.

Aside from containing the computer-generated sketch of alias Ricky, the flyers also contain the contact information of the PTFoMS and the standing reward money for the suspects’ arrest totaling P3.7 million.