BAGUIO CITY – A red tagged media practitioner was unhurt after still unidentified motorcycle-riding armed men shot him while on his way home along 2nd Road, Quezon Hill Proper, here Tuesday night.
The supposed victim was identified as Aldwin Joseph G. Quitasol, of legal age, married, correspondent of the Daily Tribune and the president of the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC), the umbrella organization of the media in the city.
Quitasol was walking along Second Road, Quezon Hill Proper at around 9:50 pm Tuesday when still unidentified motorcycle-riding armed men who came from his back suddenly fired at him with the use of a still undisclosed firearm.
He claimed that he immediately tried to protect himself by lying face down on the ground to evade further gunshots that may be peppered by the armed men.
While lying on the ground face down, he saw the motorcycle turn left and sped towards the direction of Naguilian Road, one of the major highways in the city, before he stood up and immediately went home to their residence at Purok 24, San Carlos Highest, Irisan.
For several instances, Quitasol had been invited by military authorities for a dialogue in the Irisan Barangay Hall which he did not attend because the said invitation has no concrete and credible basis to him to be simply be compelled to attend such meeting.
Further, there was also an instance where some military personnel allegedly requested that they visit him in his residence which he politely declined because of the condition of her mother.
Quitasol’s wife. Kimberly, who is also a correspondent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, had been charged for cyber libel by retired Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera regional director R’win Pagkalinawan on her article that aired the condemnation of a human rights group on the latter’s alleged statement for a shoot to kill order against communist organizers.
The hearing of the aforesaid case was just concluded in the afternoon of Monday, February 28, 2022 in one of the local courts.
Probers will conduct a re-enactment of the shooting incident in the exact area where it actually happened to guide them in whatever future actions to undertake to ascertain the identity of the culprits and the motive behind the attempted assassination of the media practitioner.
The BCBC has yet to issue an official statement on the said incident to give way for the on going investigation on the matter.