A radio broadcaster who was ambushed in Albay on Monday morning died hours after surgery.
Noel Bellen Samar, 54, of Kadunong ITV and DWIZ, was declared dead around 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center in Legazpi City, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Samar was shot four times with a .45-caliber pistol by unidentified assailants while driving along the national highway in Morera village in Guinobatan town, past 9 a.m. Monday.
Doctors were able to perform a successful operation to treat his wounds, but Samar later succumbed to his injuries.
The motive for the attack remains unclear, but police are investigating the possibility that it was related to his work as a broadcaster.
In an interview, Albay police director Col. Noel Nuñez said that based on CCTV footage obtained through backtracking, two suspects riding separate motorcycles appeared to have tailed and sandwiched the victim prior to the ambush.
Nuñez said police have a person of interest and vowed to continue pursuing the case until justice is served.
He urged the suspects to surrender, saying, ‘We will do our best, 100 percent, to resolve the case and give justice to the victim. You will be found, held accountable, and justice will prevail.’
Meanwhile, Albay 3rd District Rep. Adrian Salceda condemned the shooting of Samar and offered a total of P50,000 in financial assistance and reward money related to the case.
Salceda said he is offering P25,000 to anyone who can provide credible information that will help identify and arrest the gunman.
‘I vehemently condemn this act of violence. Such attacks have no place in a civilized society, and certainly not in the political life of Albay. Any attack on the media is an attack on our freedoms,’ he said