POLICE bared that local radio political commentator Federico ‘Ding’ Gempesaw was murdered because he caught the “ire of a big figure” he recently tackled in his radio program before he was gunned down on June 29.
Police spokesman P/Lt. Col. Evan Viñas said they have already filed murder cases against two persons believed to be the gunmen who shot and killed Gempesaw in front of his residence in Macanhan, Barangay Carmen.
Viñas did not reveal their identities and the mastermind’s name, adding that the cases were already filed before the Regional Trial Court in Cagayan de Oro on August 11.
“It was definitely a media-related killing. Gempesaw was killed because the mastermind got angry by his daily tirades in his program,” he said.
Viñas made the announcement during the Media Security Forum organized by PNP-10 Regional Director Lawrence Coop with local journalists in Cagayan de Oro late last week.
Frank Mendez, president of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club said he was surprised that the police took a long time to announce the arrest of the suspects.
“Why were we not informed immediately,” Mendez said.
Gempesaw, a hard-hitting radio commentator, was the host of the block-time program Bitayan sa Kahanginan (Gallows on air) over the local station, Radyo Natin.