By Jennifer P. Rendon and Felipe V. Celino
John Heredia, a broadcast journalist-turned-municipal administrator of Pilar, Capiz, was shot dead Sunday afternoon in front of a hardware store in Brgy. Lawaan, Roxas City.
The murder was done in broad daylight in the presence of several eyewitness, but the gunmen remain unidentified.
Except for reports that both suspects wore gray hoodie sweater jackets, not much information about their identities were extracted from witnesses and even from the CCTV cameras in the area.
A day into its investigation, the Roxas City Police Station and Capiz Police Provincial Office said they are still gathering evidence to pinpoint the gunmen, and mastermind if there is, in Heredia’s killing.
Following a case conference Monday afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Jomuad Jr., Roxas City police chief, said they were able to come up with two probable motives in the assassination.
“It could probably be work-related, as he was the municipal administrator of Pilar,” he said.
But it is also possible that the victim’s vocal support for the government’s initiative against insurgency, particularly the programs of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, may have something to do with the incident.
On Jan. 28, 2021, Heredia and his wife, Atty. Criselda Azarcon Heredia, the municipal legal counsel of Pilar, appeared before the Pilar Police Station and reported that they “are not members of any activist organizations right now.”
In the same blotter, Atty. Heredia also signified to National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers-(NUPL) that she will no longer participate in any activities of the NUPL.
The following day, January 29, the Heredia couple also “brought to Pilar Police Station the person of Ginalyn Ponce Blancaflor, 47, a KADAMAY member and resident of Barangay Bolo, Roxas City, who voluntarily surrendered to a Pilar Police Station and signified her intention to avail of the local government’s program to end local armed conflict.”
“Apparently, the couple is active in the ELCAC promotion,” Jomuad said.
The 54-year-old Heredia, a resident of San Jose Village in Barangay Tiza, Roxas City, was declared dead on arrival at Capiz Doctors’ Hospital minutes after he was shot by riding-in-tandem suspects in front of Citi Hardware at Kilometer 3, Barangay Lawaan.
The victim’s wife claimed her husband received death threats days before the incident.
Heredia was a former kagawad of Brgy. Tiza here and a former president of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP)-Capiz.
He also anchored Abri-Aga television show over Fil-vision Alto Cable TV here. He was also a newspaper reporter before he became administrator of Pilar town.
Before joining the media, Heredia and his wife were active members of progressive groups in Capiz.
SPECIAL TASK FORCE
A special investigation task group (SITG) was created to focus on solving Heredia’s killing.
Master Sergeant Ramil Arcangeles, Roxas City PNP information officer, said Colonel Julio Gustilo, Capiz police director, will lead the SITG.
Arcangeles also called on to witnesses to help police authorities in their investigation.
Recovered from the crime scene were seven ammunition cartridges, two deformed bullets, and one metal fragment that will be subjected for ballistic examination.
CALL FOR SPEEDY PROBE
On Monday, Mayor Ronnie Dadivas issued a statement condemning Heredia’s killing.
“We strongly condemn the attack in the same manner that we condemn any attack that seeks to violate the right to life.”
Further, “we urge law enforcement agencies to conduct thorough, impartial and immediate action through the creation of a Joint Task Force so we can bring the perpetrator/s of John Heredia to justice”
Meanwhile, Gustilo said he is “personally saddened of what had happened to one of my personal friends since I was the COP (chief of police) of Roxas City Police Station, I know him to be a kind-hearted, down to earth and music loving person who understands our obligation and responsibilities as PNP members, even though sometimes we have a different outlook in what we believe in.”
“What could be the reason why he was murdered will surely be investigated, for now my family and I offer our deepest sympathy and condolence to his bereaved family,” Gustilo said.
Pilar town Mayor Arnold Perez said he was saddened by the incident. He described Heredia as a good and active government worker and media practitioner.
“Heredia is a great loss to the town of Pilar, more particularly to tourism and agricultural development,” Perez said, adding that Heredia was vocal against corruption in the government.
Perez also confirmed that Heredia received death threats before his death.
The mayor said he is hoping that the police will identify and arrest the perpetrators.
The NUPL-Panay Chapter also issued a statement condemning the killing.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with John Heredia’s family as they go through this most difficult of times.”
Further, “this is a monstrous crime that must be investigated promptly and properly so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice.”
They also noted that it is not the first attack against the Heredia family. Atty. Cris Heredia and her daughter themselves survived an ambush back in September 2019.
“These events highlight the impunity with which extrajudicial killings are being carried out in this country. Under this administration, lives have, indeed, become so cheap as innocent people – activists, farmers, labor leaders, environmental defenders, and lawyers – are being murdered by the score,” the NUPL statement added.
AMBUSH TRY
Atty. Criselda Heredia, who was then with the NUPL, was physically unscathed after motorcycle-riding suspects peppered them with bullets late morning of Sept. 23, 2019 in Sigma, Capiz.
Heredia just came from a court hearing in Dao town when the gun attack happened.
Heredia was with her daughter, Dr. Angelica Katrina Heredia and her client, Jimmy Dordas, a government employee and resident of Barangay Batabat, Maayon, Capiz, when the incident happened.
Katrina was driving a white Toyota Fortuner with her mother seating in the front passenger seat and Dordas in the second row seat.
They were shot by two motorcycle-riding suspects while passing through an access road at Barangay Malapad Cogon.
The suspects apparently tailed the trio and saw an opportune time to attack them as they slowed down at a portion of a renovated road.
The backrider alighted from the motorcycle, went to the right side of the vehicle, and pumped several bullets.
The motorcycle driver also shot the vehicle.
Luckily, Dordas was able to see the two suspects before they ambushed the car. He ducked and fired once while Heredias sped to Panit-an Police Station, which was the nearest from the crime scene.
The suspects fled to either Sigma or Dao.
Dordas was treated at Panitan Rural Health Unit for a graze wound on the neck.
While several angles were considered in the case, it appeared that Dordas was the target, the police earlier claimed.
Even Dordas admitted that there have been threats to his life since 2014.
But he did not discuss if it was due to a land dispute case where Criselda was his lawyer.
