Police launch manhunt for gunman in Negros radio blocktimer’s killing

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region has ordered an intensified regionwide manhunt and investigation following the killing of a radio personality in Barangay Robles, La Castellana, Negros Occidental on March 20.

The investigation showed that 49-year-old Julio Calo was standing outside his house when he was shot by an unidentified person on board a white sport utility vehicle on Friday afternoon.

Police Maj. Romulo Gepilango V, chief of the La Castellana Municipal Police Station, said the victim was hit in the head with an unknown caliber of firearm, causing his immediate death.

Calo was a radio blocktimer who had his first episode on March 14 on community radio station 88.3 DNN News FM.

A blocktimer is a broadcaster who purchases airtime from a radio station to produce and host their own program, a common arrangement in Philippine community media that allows individuals and organizations to air content independently of the station’s regular programming.

He was also a job order casual employee of Himamaylan City.

Gepilango said the victim had a previous case involving illegal drugs in 2018 but could not link the attack to it.

He added that they are exploring all possible motives behind the killing.

The ongoing investigation is focused on determining the motive, including possible personal, professional, or targeted attack angles, while intelligence units are working to identify all individuals involved, including possible accomplices.

Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, PRO-NIR director, emphasized the urgency of the operation and the accountability of ground commanders.

“This is a deliberate act of violence, and we expect results,” Ibay said, as he directed the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office to exhaust all investigative and operational means to identify and arrest the perpetrator at the soonest possible time and ensure that no lead is left unpursued.

The PRO-NIR has directed the activation of a Special Investigation Task Group to ensure focused, coordinated, and results-oriented case buildup.

The task group is currently conducting extensive closed-circuit television backtracking operations across La Castellana, La Carlota City, and adjacent areas to establish the movement, entry, and escape routes of the suspect vehicle.

Regional support units have been mobilized to augment ground operations, including the establishment of strategic checkpoints and dragnet operations along possible escape corridors to restrict suspect mobility and generate actionable intelligence.

The regional office also directed the strengthening of witness identification, protection, and case documentation, ensuring that all available evidence is secured to support the filing of criminal charges.

The Philippines remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists and media workers. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 100 journalists have been killed in the country since 1992, with a significant number of cases remaining unsolved.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Negros Island Region strongly condemned the killing of Calo.

NUJP-NIR chairman Chito Berjit Jr. said in a statement that the act of violence is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern of attacks against media workers in the country.

“Worse, significant number of these cases remain unsolved, with perpetrators and masterminds escaping justice,” he stressed.

The NUJP-NIR urged authorities to take decisive, immediate action and conduct a thorough, impartial, and expeditious investigation to identify the perpetrator and accomplices and bring them to justice.

Berjit said that killing journalists is a barbaric act that has no place in society, adding that it is a blatant attack to silence voices that seek to inform, question, and hold power to account.

“Every killing of a media worker strikes fear into the hearts of those who strive to report the truth, and it erodes the very foundation of our democracy,” he said.

The group also reiterated its challenge to the government and security forces to end the culture of impunity that has allowed these crimes to continue without justice.

“We will not be silenced, and vows to stand in solidarity with our fellow journalists to defend the freedom of the press and the rights of all Filipinos to a free and independent media,” he said.

The NUJP-NIR called on the government, civil society, and the public to join in condemning the killing and in working to ensure that no more journalists lose their lives for doing their job.

The public is encouraged to report any information that may assist in the investigation.