PNP Chief, General Dionardo Carlos said he already ordered the creation of the special team to coordinate all actions of regional investigative units regarding the shooting of Malabanan.
Initial investigation showed that Malabanan, 58 years old died on the spot after an unidentified gunman fatally shot him on the head, Wednesday night (Dec. 8).
Carlos said the police is doing its best to immediately identify and arrest the person responsible for Malabanan’s death.
“I instructed the Regional Director of Police Regional Office (PRO) 8 to create a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to expedite the resolution of this case,” Carlos said.
The SITG, Carlos said, will be composed of investigating teams from the Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Forensic Group, Regional Intelligence Unit, and Calbayog City Police Station under the supervision of the Deputy Regional Director for Operations of PRO-8.
The PNP chief said the witnesses told local police that they could hardly identify the gunman but they saw him fleeing the crime scene using a motorcycle together with a fellow rider.
The SITG is now obtaining copies of CCTV footage that may help in the ongoing probe.
“We understand the call of the family and different groups to expedite the investigation of the case. These requests will not fall on deaf ears,” he said.
Establishing the motive of the case can help us in going to the bottom of this, adding they just need the cooperation of the witnesses, Carlos said.
The SITG will coordinate with the family of the victim amid reports that the victim has been receiving threats recently because of his profession or if there are other personal angles that are worth looking into.
Malabanan was a defense and security beat reporter in the 1990s and served as correspondent in Eastern Visayas for Manila Standard and tabloid Bandera.
Malabanan was also a stringer for international news agency Reuters.