Capiz Radio Broadcaster Survives Ambush Unharmed in Roxas City

Photo Courtesy of Baskog Radyo / Facebook

A veteran radio broadcaster escaped death unharmed on Monday morning, June 22, 2026, after outsmarting two motorcycle-riding assassins who ambushed his vehicle in Roxas City, Capiz.

Jay "Papang Jay" Lavapiez, the 48-year-old station manager and hard-hitting political commentator for Baskog Radyo, survived the early-morning attack in Barangay Cagay by feigning injury, forcing the gunmen to flee before finishing the job.

The Ambush

The incident occurred at approximately 5:40 a.m. along the Roxas-Ivisan National Highway. Lavapiez was driving his sedan on his daily commute to the radio station when he noticed two unidentified men on a black motorcycle trailing him.

As they reached a crossing, the motorcycle blocked his path, and the passenger pulled a handgun, firing four consecutive shots at close range into the vehicle's windshield and side window.

Instead of panic-driving, Lavapiez executed a rapid defensive maneuver. He immediately steered his car into the roadside gutter, slumped over the steering wheel, and pretended to be critically wounded. Deceived by the tactic, the suspects assumed their target was neutralized and sped away toward the neighboring municipality of Ivisan.

Investigation and Motive

Responding officers from the Roxas City Police Station recovered four spent cartridge casings from a caliber .45 pistol at the crime scene. Lavapiez was escorted to a secure location under heavy police guard.

The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has ordered the immediate activation of a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to track down the assailants. Investigators are heavily focusing on Lavapiez's aggressive political commentaries and his active cyber libel cases as the primary motives behind the failed assassination.

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) strongly condemned the attack, labeling it a direct assault on press freedom. Authorities confirmed they have already identified several "persons of interest" and are currently reviewing CCTV footage along the getaway route.