PRESS RELEASE
18 May 2009

Vital Witness of Media Killing Case Arrested

Task Force 211 orchestrated on Saturday the arrest of Peter Melgar, a vital witness in the murder case of local radio broadcaster Herson “Bombo Boy” Hinolan in Kalibo, Aklan.

Melgar was the first eyewitness to positively identify Aklan Mayor Alfredo Arcenio as the killer who gunned down Hinolan on November 13, 2004.  Five days after the incident, he made a sworn statement positively identifying the Mayor as the gunman. He then sought the help of the Witness Protection Program of the Department of Justice claiming that his life is under serious threat.  Around four (4) years later, however, he went out of the program and, shortly thereafter, executed an affidavit of recantation.

Melgar ignored several subpoenas from the court, thus, the prosecution was constrained to ask the court for the issuance of a Bench Warrant of Arrest in October 2008.  Through the persistent efforts of Task Force 211 in pursuing this media killing case, Melgar was taken into custody last Saturday after months of tracking down his whereabouts.

If we recall, the trial for this case had been transferred from Aklan to Cebu City courts because the accused is very influential in Aklan and witnesses there allegedly feared to talk.  

Presiding Judge Sylva Aguirre-Paderanga earlier ruled that the evidence of guilt is strong and denied Mayor Arcenio's petition for bail.  He is currently detained at the Cebu Provincial Rehabilitation Center .

The victim was the station manager of DYIN Bombo Radyo in Kalibo and host of the station's morning program "Bombohanay Bigtime."  He was reported to have been vocal in his criticisms against the Mayor.

Mayor Arcenio was a fugitive from justice for over two years until Task Force 211 pursued a vigorous manhunt against the Mayor, which forced him to surrender to the authorities.  The task force further worked out the creation of a panel of prosecutors to actively prosecute the case.

The arrest of Melgar further demonstrates Task Force 211’s relentless efforts to prosecute media killings cases.  The Task Force, in its one and a half year of existence, has shown steadfast resolve in this undertaking.

“TF211 will not take it lightly for witnesses to execute sworn statements and later on recant in return for certain considerations.  This incident should serve as a warning to witnesses that they should not take their oaths lightly”, Task Force 211 Chairman Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said.###