Unidentified gunmen shot a photojournalist and five other persons — three of them minors — on Thursday afternoon in Quezon City, the police and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) reported.
The Quezon City Police District said Remate Online photographer Joshua Abiad, 37, his brother Renato, 41, and the three children were on board their silver Ford Everest along Corumi and Gazan streets in Barangay Masambong when a silver Toyota Vios blocked their path as they were about to enter their residence at 3:50 p.m.
A man wearing a black jacket then got off the Vios and started firing shots, while another man fired from beside the suspect car before they fled toward Del Monte Avenue. A motorcycle rider was also seen serving as a lookout, authorities said.
The Abiad brothers and the minors — aged four, six, and eight — sustained bullet wounds on different parts of their bodies along with Jeffrey Cao, 47, who was in the area during the incident. They were immediately brought to the hospital and later declared safe, police added.
The Masambong police station chief, Lt. Col. Resty Damaso, said a Lalamove rider witnessed the shooting.
Police are looking into the angle of Abiad’s involvement as a witness in the arrest of several drug suspects arrested by the joint forces of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, which PTFoMS Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez also said in a Facebook post.
The QCPD is reviewing footage from closed-circuit television cameras in the area. Police also recovered 14 fired cal. 45 cartridges at the crime scene.
In a statement, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said it strongly condemns the act of violence targeting one of its media partners and his family.
“This heinous act is an attack not only on the individuals involved but also on the freedom of the press and the values we hold dear as a society,” NCRPO said.
It assured the public it will spare no effort in conducting a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“We stand in solidarity with the media community and vow to protect their rights and ensure their safety,” it added.
The attack on Abiad is the most recent attack against Filipino journalists after the killing of radio broadcaster Cris Bundoquin in Oriental Mindoro last May.