Cebu photojourn’s killer gets death

A Cebu judge ordered the death penalty for the convicted killer of Allan Dizon, a photojournalist who worked for The Freeman and Banat News last 19 January.

Cebu City Regional Trial Court Branch 5 Judge Ireneo Lee Gako Jr. handed down the death sentence to Edgar Belandres, who was found guilty of slaying Dizon on 27 November 2004. In his 19-page decision, Gako found the testimonies of the three prosecution witnesses “spontaneous,” despite the fact that they lacked evidence. In fact, Gako himself observed that none of the three witnesses could remember the color of the helmet of the accused so how could they remember the face of the gunman when it was the first time they had seen him.

Faustiniano Doller, Epifanio Barcuma, and Alma Doller, all jeepney dispatchers in the area where Dizon was murdered, identified Belandres as the killer. Gako took note of Belandres’ admission that he sent the text message found on Dizon’s cell phone in which he asked Dizon to meet him at a car wash. The car wash was near a cell phone shop where Dizon was found lying in a pool of blood several minutes after receiving the text message.

After Gako read the verdict, lasting more than an hour, Dizon’s widow Amelina sobbed with relief and joy. Belandres’ lawyer Pedro Salva said they will appeal the conviction. Dizon also reportedly worked as a police asset, which could be the reason behind the killing, as the photographer allegedly tipped off the local police about Belandres’ suspected drug dealing.

Belandres’ conviction was the second successful resolution of journalist killing cases in Cebu. Just last November, Edgar Wapile, killer of Pagadian City journalist Edgar Damalerio, was convicted to life imprisonment.#

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