NUJP seeks arrest of mastermind in Cagayan de Oro radioman’s murder

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — More than four years after gunshots silenced radio blocktimer Federico “Ding” Gempesaw right on his own doorsteps, the triggerman is behind bars, but the most crucial question remains unanswered: who ordered the hit?

Marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on Monday, November 2, this city’s chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) voiced deep frustration over the stalled pursuit of the mastermind behind the city’s first reported media killing.

Gempesaw, a blocktime commentator for Radyo Natin, was gunned down outside his residence in Macanhan, Barangay Carmen, on June 29, 2022.

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Maj. Joann Navarro, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-10 (PRO-10), confirmed to the Inquirer that the alleged gunman is currently facing court proceedings following his arrest on October 31 last year.

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She identified the arrested suspect as Peter Zalso Quimada Jr., who remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The suspect, collared through a no-bail arrest warrant for murder, was positively identified by Gempesaw’s son, who now serves as a key prosecution witness.

However, Navarro noted that a second suspect — a “John Doe” who fled with the gunman — remains at large.

While the media watchdog welcomed the arrest of the alleged gunman, it maintained a critical stance on the direction of the police investigation, which floated personal grudge between the suspect and the victim as a potential motive.

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The NUJP chapter, however, is pushing back.

“Remembering Sir Ding amid the observance of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists is also our way to remind authorities of their unfinished obligation to identify and arrest the mastermind behind the killing and hold all perpetrators accountable,” Franck Rosete, chairman of NUJP Cagayan de Oro Chapter, told the Inquirer Monday.

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The group urged authorities to relentlessly pursue the mastermind to bring genuine closure to the Gempesaw family.

Gempesaw’s assassination adds to a grim and growing toll. According to NUJP, media killings under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration reached 12 following the murder of Albay-based broadcast journalist Adrian Loterte just last month.

Reaffirming their commitment to truth-telling amid the threats, the NUJP local chapter appealed for broader civilian support to protect an increasingly vulnerable press.

“We vow to continue our work, and we call on the public to stand with us in demanding justice and defending media freedom and people’s right to know,” the chapter said in a statement Monday.

At the national level, the government acknowledged the uphill battle in securing convictions.

“Ending impunity means ensuring that attacks against journalists are not ignored, that cases are not forgotten, and that victims and their families can have confidence that justice remains within reach,” Undersecretary Jose Torres Jr., executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), said in a statement issued Monday.

“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 added.

Torres noted that the occasion is both a tribute to fallen journalists and a call for concrete action to protect those who continue to report in the public interest.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed Nov. 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in 2013, commemorating the murder of French journalists Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon in Mali.

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 The observance draws global attention to the failure to bring perpetrators to justice and urges member states to ensure accountability through impartial, speedy investigations. /gsg