The murder charges filed against three individuals allegedly behind the 5 November 2023 shooting death of broadcaster Juan Jumalon while aboard his live program on Facebook at his home-based radio station in Calamba town were dismissed by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Calamba, Misamis Occidental.
Calamba RTC Branch 36 Presiding Judge Michael Ajoc, in an order dated 18 March 2025, ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the guilt of the accused, identified as Jolito Mangompit, Reynante Saja Bongcawel, and his cousin Boboy Sagaray Bongcawel, beyond reasonable doubt.
The provincial jail warden of Misamis Provincial Jail-Oroquieta City was directed by the court to immediately release the Bongcawels unless they are detained for other reasons.
Also, the trial court directed Mangompit’s transfer to the custody of the Zamboanga del Norte Correctional and Rehabilitation Center (ZNRC) in connection with a separate attempted murder and murder case.
The ruling stated that when the wrong person is brought to trial, it not only defeats the several purposes of the criminal justice system but also adds salt to the wounds sustained by the grieving family of the murdered victim.
“May the authorities exert all their efforts, time, and money to look after the real killers and mastermind of the calloused murder of Juan T. Jumalon and give his family the justice they deserve,” the court added.
During the trial, the defense presented the accused, except Mangompit, and nine other witnesses to support their claim that they were not present at the crime scene where Jumalon was shot dead.
Reynante denied that he was the driver of the getaway vehicle ridden by the killers of Jumalon. He claimed that on the day of the killing, he arrived from fishing and went directly to the port of Caluya, Sapang Dalaga, to deliver and sell their catch to the barangay captain. He further testified that after filling out the logbook to record their sale and transactions, he went home directly to sleep. Reynante’s fellow fishermen who were with him on that day testified to support his claim.
On the other hand, Boboy denied the accusation that he was the one who pointed a gun at Jumalon's gatekeeper. He testified that he suffered a stroke in 2020, which affected the movement of the left side of his body. He presented his doctor and relatives as witnesses.
Several witnesses were presented by Mangompit, the alleged gunman of Jumalon, to prove that he was at a farmland harvesting corn with his family on 4 and 5 November.
The trial court also pointed out that the fingerprints of the accused did not match the fingerprints gathered from the crime scene, which allegedly belonged to the perpetrators.
The court also noted that the prosecution failed to convincingly prove that Mangompit was Jumalon’s gunman.
The prosecution’s witnesses, the court said, did not know the identity of the gunman at the time of the incident until it was provided to them by some police officers.
Aside from the clothing and ballcap worn by the two perpetrators, the trial court noted that the witnesses failed to provide any prior description during the initial investigation that would match the description with any of the accused.
“The totality of the evidence thus far presented by the prosecution was patently insufficient to prove the guilt of accused Mangompit as the gunman, Boboy Bongcawil as the one who pointed a gun to the gatekeeper and Reynante Bongcawil as look-out and driver of the getaway vehicle beyond reasonable doubt…” the court ruled.