An online journalist who had formerly worked for a radio station in Bicol was killed in an ambush carried out by two gunmen riding in tandem on a motorcycle in Sorsogon Monday night.
The victim was identified Jobert Balidoy Bercasio alias “Polpog,” 39, resident of Purok 3, Sitio Dancalan, Barangay Buenavista, Bacon District, Sorsogon City.
Bercasio, who worked for Balangibong Online News portal and a former broadcaster with a radio station in Legaspi City, Albay, was waylaid by two men at around 7:55 p.m.
The Sorsogon Provincial Police Office created Special Investigation Team “Bercasio” to probe the killing and possibly identify the suspects and the motive of the attack.
Bercasio, who was riding a Venus scooter and coming from the city proper, was ambushed by the two men near the XTRM Seabreeze Homes Subdivision, Barangay Cabid-an.
The victim died on the sport from four gunshot wounds. The assailants immediately fled from the scene to an unknown direction after the killing.
As part of the ongoing investigation, Police Regional Office (PRO) – 5 director Brig. Gen. Bartolome Bustamante Jr. ordered the Regional Anti-Cyber Crime Unit 5 to conduct an examination on the social media account of the victim and his recent posts.
The PRO-5 condemned the killing and assured it vowed to conduct a thorough probe, identity the perpetrators and “give justice” to the family of Bercasio.
The Presidential Task Force on Media Security headed by Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco also condemned the killing of Bercasio, whom, he said, was shot at pointblank range.
It said the two armed men were wearing motorcycle in helmets and black jackets and rode on a blue Mio motorcycle.
“We are relentless in pursuing perpetrators behind any attack against our media workers,” Egco said. “It will just be a matter of time before the suspects of this brazen act are identified and put behind bars. We will not rest until the killers face justice,” he said.