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Saturday, December 03, 2005
Hired gun used to kill radioman
By Mia E. Abellana
With Garry Cabotaje & Karlon N. Rama
CEBU CITY -- The Talisay City police released the cartographic sketch of the man who gunned down Thursday night dyDD Bantay Radyo reporter George Benaojan at the South Central Market in Barangay Lawaan 1, Talisay City.
Benaojan, 27, succumbed to three gunshot wounds at 12:10 a.m. Friday at the Chong Hua Hospital. He was shot about 9:30 p.m. Thursday.
The police won't say if have a suspect already. However, another source revealed that Benaojan's killer is a hired gun who has a pending arrest warrant for murder. The gunman eluded arrested when a law enforcement unit went after him Friday.
Cebu Provincial Police Director Vicente Loot said they are looking into the job-related angle, while the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 Chief Oscar Catalan said they are considering all angles, including Benaojan's personal activities.
Benaojan, a senior staff reporter of Bantay Radyo, was in front of his store at the South Central Market when a lone gunman approached him and shot him several times.
The gunman had aimed at Benaojan's forehead, but the .45 pistol jammed, giving Benaojan the chance to grab the gun's muzzle.
But he was overpowered and the gunman stepped back before firing again.
One bullet entered the right jaw and went through his neck while another bullet pierced his heart and shattered his liver. He also suffered a wound in the right leg.
The cartographic sketch was made based on the description of Adriano Llanos, his companion at the time, and other witnesses.
Investigating agencies formed a task group for the arrest of Benaojan's killer and the identification of the mastermind.
No less than Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Arturo Lomibao arrived Friday to assess the progress of the investigation.
Before his arrival, investigating units from the Cebu Provincial Police Office and the National Bureau of Investigation conducted reenactments of the incident.
Lomibao said he wanted his men to come up with a "swift resolution" to the killing. By solved, he meant identifying and arresting the suspects and eventually prosecuting them.
"Of the 10 cases involving journalists this year including this case, we have solved eight. I am confident that we will make a breakthrough on this in due time," Lomibao said.
He did not give a timeframe for the police, but ordered them to solve it "as soon as possible."
After checking the crime scene, Lomibao paid a visit to Benaojan's family and assured them that they are doing what they can to arrest those behind the killing.
Initially, Loot sent investigators from the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Branch to help the Talisay Police Station.
CIDG 7 Chief Catalan also said they would spearhead the investigation since they are the lead agency of Task Force Newsman, as ordered by Camp Crame last year.
Police learned that Benaojan had a 4 p.m. radio program "Expose ni Bay George" every Sunday over dyDD.
He also reportedly wrote a regular column in Trade Winds, a Manila-based weekly tabloid, which is being circulated in Bureau of Customs (BOC) offices.
Benaojan was also a columnist of Bantay Balita, a Bohol-based newspaper, and formerly served as general manager of the defunct Cebu News Update.
As gathered by the police, Benaojan owned a restobar and a resort in Moalboal, Cebu's famous dive site, a billiard hall in Ronda town and another store on T. Padilla public market in Cebu City.
The store in South Central Market in Talisay was opened last October yet.
Benaojan, who hailed from Batad-batad, Moalboal's farthest mountain barangay, was set to marry a young teacher early next year.
Loot ordered his investigators to review his recent columns and to listen to his latest commentaries to find out who he has been attacking.
Loot said that Benaojan has been focusing his commentaries on smugglers.
"This was obviously a hit job. Mas dako ang posibilidad na hired killer ang nagbira," he said.
Benaojan's parents Lourdes, 62, and Bernardino, 72, could not say who wanted their youngest son dead.
Lourdes said George would not tell her about threats to his life.
They last saw him in All Saints' Day when he told them that they would be celebrating Christmas in his house in Talisay City.
Llanos told reporters that Benaojan still fought with his killer when the gun did not immediately go off.
Llanos said that Benaojan did not take the death threats he received seriously and often laughed them off.
In one of the text messages he got, Benaojan was told to be careful or else his car would be turned into a hearse.
Llanos said Benaojan fought hard to live, even telling him to take him to the Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City.
It was Benaojan who switched on the siren of his Mitsubishi Pajero so that they could drive faster.
When Llanos asked Benaojan if he knew the man who shot him, Benaojan said he did not.
He no longer responded when Llanos asked who may have been behind the attack. (Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(December 3, 2005 issue)
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