More than P3 million reward offered for information leading to suspects in Juan Jumalon's killing
More than P3 million in rewards is being offered for vital information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects in the murder case of radioman Juan "Johny Walker" Jumalon, who was laid to rest in his hometown Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte on Sunday, Nov. 12.
In a Facebook post, the Misamis Occidental provincial government said it's offering P500,000 to anyone who could provide details leading to the gunman who brutally killed the journalist during his live broadcast for 94.7 Calamba Gold FM in his home on Nov. 5.
P3 million is also being offered to any law enforcer who could arrest the suspects in the slay.
In a separate post, his son Stephen Kyle Jumalon noted that the identity of the possible informants will be kept completely private.
"To everyone who saw the video of the shooting incident: I humbly beg that anyone who knows the suspect or has knowledge about them please do not hesitate to contact us or directly to me. Your identity will remain completely 100% confidential, I promise. Thank you, and God may bless us all," he wrote.
Jumalon's son also offered an additional P100,000 to anyone who could possibly help with the investigation.
In a statement on Nov. 12, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security said one of the suspects in the killing has already been identified. They said he was known as a "gun-for-hire" in the entire province and that he was "identified by at least three witnesses."
Authorities are currently looking into non-work-related motives in the slay.
Alma Pescador, spokesperson of the Misamis Occidental Provincial Police Office, told One PH’s One Balita Pilipinas that Jumalon had an enemy before he was shot dead. Paul Gutierrez, Presidential Task Force on Media Safety executive director, meanwhile told state-run PTV that there's an issue regarding the property where Jumalon worked. The latter also stated the possibility of having the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections as a factor in the case.
Misamis Occidental police previously said it could be unrelated to his media work as according to his family, Jumalon was not a “hard-hitting” broadcaster and focused on public service and advertising.
The National Bureau of Investigation and the Commission on Human Rights are also conducting separate investigations on the case. A special task force has also been formed following the death of the radioman.