The police filed attempted murder charges against a deputized agent of the Land Transportation Office tagged as the suspect in the recent shooting of a broadcaster in Sagay City.

Supt. William Senoron yesterday said a criminal complaint was filed against LTO deputized agent Romeo Corbo, 39, before the City Prosecutor's Office of Sagay.

Corbo, who is also an employee of the Sagay City government, invoked self-defense in shooting Ferdinand "Bambi" Yngson, station manager of RGMA Super Radyo-Bacolod.

Yngson, however, disputed that, saying he was shot by the suspect from behind and without any provocation. This was supported by the recovery of a homemade shotgun with one live ammunition and an empty shell from Corbo, initial police investigations showed. Journalist-turned Senator Loren Legarda yesterday called on the media to maintain their vigilance and said law enforcers should be able to limit it, if not put to stop to all these violence on media persons.

"This is not tolerated in any humane society," Legarda said.

Various media organizations in Negros Occidental yesterday issued a joint statement condemning the attempt to kill Yngson, stemming from what they believe is a "work-related attempt on his life".

"The attempts on Yngson's life is the worse violation of press freedom," the Negros Press Club, Negros Media Council for Press Freedom, Congress of Active Media Practioners, NPC Council of Past Presidents and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines- Negros Occidental chapter said in joint statement they issued yesterday.

Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, said the case of Yngson is "good as solved", after the suspect confessed to committing the crime, although he claimed it was in self-defense.

Yngson, who is now confined at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod, said he saw Corbo reload his shotgun after firing at him, hitting him in the left arm, the back and chest. This prompted his companion to box Corbo, he added.

Corbo was tested positive for gunpowder burns during a paraffin test at the PNP Crime Laboratory, police said.

Sagay police investigators said the shooting may have been related to the exposé of the broadcaster on the alleged selective method of arresting traffic violators made by the LTO personnel.*GPB

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Meanwhile, an act strengthening the independence of media in the Philippines by establishing the Journalists Welfare Fund, was introduced by Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella before the House of Representatives during the 14th Congress.

Puentevella yesterday said he believes House Bill 489, which shall be known as the "Journalist Welfare Act of 2007," will be the solution to the problems confronting media practitioners citing the attempt on the life of acting RGMA Super Radyo station manager Ferdinand "Bambi" Yngson.

Puentevella said his proposed bill provides that the amount of P50 million shall be appropriated by the national government as a start-up capital for the cooperative and shall be included in the General Appropriations Act allocation of the Cooperative Development Authority upon the year of approval of this Act.*CGS

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