Suspect in Capiz broadcaster assassination attempt arrested

ILOILO CITY — One of two suspects in the June 22, 2026, assassination attempt on a radio broadcaster in Roxas City, Capiz, was arrested in Tapaz, Capiz, on Oct. 30.

Police identified the suspect as alias “Doming,” 42, who was apprehended in Barangay Poblacion, Tapaz, following an intelligence-driven operation conducted by units under the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6.

Personnel from the Tapaz Municipal Police Station, supported by the Capiz Provincial Police Office-Provincial Intelligence Unit, 2nd Capiz Provincial Mobile Force Company, Roxas City Police Station, Regional Intelligence Division and Regional Special Operations Group, arrested the suspect on an attempted murder warrant.

The warrant was issued Aug. 12, 2026, by Regional Trial Court Branch 15 in Roxas City.

The court set bail at PHP 120,000 for the suspect’s temporary release.

Doming was listed as the No. 2 most wanted person in Tapaz.

Police linked Doming and another unidentified suspect, referred to as John Doe, to the attempted killing of Jay Lavapiez, popularly known as “Papang Jay.”

Lavapiez, 48, is a broadcaster and station manager of Baskog Radyo in Roxas City.

He escaped the shooting unharmed.

According to police reports, Lavapiez, a resident of Costa Verde in Barangay Cagay, Roxas City, was on his way to the radio station when a gunman opened fire at around 5:40 a.m. on June 22.

Lavapiez was leaving the Costa Verde area in his Mitsubishi Adventure when the assailant, who had reportedly alighted from a motorcycle, fired at his vehicle.

Despite the attack, the broadcaster was not injured.

Authorities have yet to establish the motive behind the shooting or disclose whether it was connected to Lavapiez’s work as a journalist.

The suspect faces an attempted murder charge and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

PNP chief underscores journalist safety

Following Doming’s arrest, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. commended the operating units for their coordinated efforts.

He emphasized the importance of addressing cases involving violence against journalists and other media practitioners.

“I commend our personnel for their efforts in pursuing this case. The safety of media practitioners matters because they play an important role in keeping the public informed. Hindi dapat balewalain ang anumang insidente na naglalagay sa kanilang kaligtasan sa alanganin. We will continue to do our part in ensuring that cases are properly addressed and due process is observed,” Nartatez said.

Nartatez said the PNP would continue strengthening intelligence gathering and coordination among police units to ensure that individuals with outstanding arrest warrants are brought before the courts.

The arrest comes amid continuing concerns over attacks against journalists in the Philippines, where threats and violence against media practitioners remain challenges to press freedom and public accountability.

PTFOMS calls for accountability beyond arrest

Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) commended the PNP and PRO-6 for the arrest during the observance of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on Nov. 2.

The task force emphasized that apprehending suspects must be followed by sustained efforts to ensure accountability through the judicial process.

“We thank the PNP, particularly PRO-6 under PBGen Tuaño and the operating units, for their persistence and coordinated work in bringing the suspect before the courts,” PTFOMS Executive Director and Undersecretary Jose Torres Jr. said.

Torres urged investigators and other concerned authorities to sustain their efforts to ensure that the development contributes to the pursuit of justice for Lavapiez.

He said the broadcaster’s survival of the assassination attempt highlighted the broader challenge of addressing violence and threats against media workers.

Torres also called for sustained attention to unresolved killings of journalists and the families who continue to wait for justice.

“No single institution can end impunity on its own. We need sustained cooperation among law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, the judiciary, media organizations, civil society, and the public,” he said.

He appealed to individuals with credible information about attacks against journalists to cooperate with the proper authorities.

Such cooperation, he said, could help advance investigations and secure justice for slain media practitioners and those who survived attacks.

Torres stressed that ending impunity requires ensuring that attacks against journalists are investigated, cases are pursued and victims and their families can trust the justice system.

“An arrest is an important step, but our collective responsibility does not end there. Cases must be diligently pursued, with full respect for due process and the independence of the courts,” he said.

 

International campaign against journalist killings

The United Nations General Assembly designated Nov. 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists through Resolution 68/163, adopted Dec. 18, 2013.

The observance commemorates the killing of French journalists Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, who were murdered in Mali on Nov. 2, 2013, while on assignment for Radio France Internationale.

The resolution condemns attacks and violence against journalists and urges governments to prevent such crimes, bring perpetrators to justice and ensure effective remedies for victims.

According to UNESCO, more than 1,600 journalists were killed worldwide between 2006 and 2025, with nearly six in seven cases remaining judicially unresolved.

The international observance underscores the importance of effective investigations, prosecutions and institutional cooperation in preventing attacks against media workers.

For PTFOMS, the arrest in the Lavapiez case marks an important development, but achieving justice will depend on the continued investigation and prosecution of those allegedly responsible.