MANILA – A complaint for attempted murder has been filed against a former city councilor and son of a barangay chairperson in Laguna over the shooting of a local journalist, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said Wednesday.
According to the PTFoMS, the Malacañang’s arm in charge of ensuring media security in the country, the case was filed last Monday, just a week after Marc Angelo Barrios of Laguna Patrol was shot by unidentified gunmen aboard a motorcycle.
Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez, PTFoMS executive director, commended the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for immediately responding to the task force’s request for a deeper investigation of the incident.
“This again showed that the established mechanism by the government to address any violation in the right to life, liberty, and security of all members of the press is working efficiently,” Gutierrez said.
The initial police report said two motorcycle riding suspects fired seven times at Barrios, while he was on his way home to Brgy. San Gregorio in San Pablo City on the evening of July 15. He was miraculously unharmed although his motorcycle was damaged by the attack.
The suspects then sped off toward an unknown destination.
The CIDG accompanied Barrios in the filing before the Prosecutor’s Office a case for frustrated murder against the principal suspect.
The task force refused to name the suspect “pending the result of the evaluation of the complaint by the attending prosecutor.”
Gutierrez also thanked the local police for its immediate assistance to Barrios after the incident. (PNA)
