After being shot by an unidentified assailant Thursday evening, a radio broadcaster in Cagayan de Oro City survived the attempt on his life and is now recovering at a hospital after a surgical operation.

Nilo Labares, 48, DXCC radio chief reporter and news anchor, was shot by two men riding a motorcycle as he was on his way home in Barangay Macasanding at around 8 p.m. Thursday. Labares reportedly suffered from a single gunshot wound that pierced his lower right back and hit his kidney and liver.

Labares was rushed to the Maria Reyna Hospital, where doctors reportedly had to remove his right kidney and transfuse four bags of blood.

Mizel Borlaos, the victim's partner, said that Labares is now in stable condition and is being guarded by police to prevent any further attempts on his life.

Police Senior Superintendent Noel Armilla, acting Cagayan de Oro City Police Chief, said that cartographic sketches of the gunmen based on witnesses' accounts are being prepared.

"Since Labares survived the shooting, the chances of going after his gunman are high. The assailants did not wear bonnets. We will wait until Labares recuperates and will be able to tell us more," Armilla said.

Borlaos recalled her partner's account of the incident, saying that the gunmen had tried to shoot the victim repeatedly, but that Labares had tricked his assailants into thinking that he had a weapon as well.

"As Nilo neared the dark portion of the road, the motorcyle went past him and he was shot. The gunman came back to shoot him again, but he tried to disguise, pulling out something from his side which made the assailants flee fearing that Labares would shoot them back. Luckily, a motorcycle was coming toward them which prompted the assailants to flee," she said.

Labares's colleague at DXCC, Edgar Navarro, meanwhile, expressed relief that the victim survived. "It was a gory scene, there was blood all over when I saw him at the emergency room at the hospital last night," he said.

Illegal gambling

Police are reportedly investigating whether the murder attempt is related to Armilla's vocal criticisms against illegal gambling activities in the area, like 'video karera' or slot machines and 'jueteng', an illegal numbers game. However, Armilla said they are not discounting other possibilities.

"We don't want to pre-conclude that it is his drive against video karera that almost cost his life. We are also looking into the other possible angles as Labares is a member of the media, he could have gotten the ire of some people involved in the issues he advocates on radio," he said.

Armilla added that the victim had reportedly received death threats prior to the incident.

Labares's co-worker, Analiza Reyes, also revealed that Labares had been approached by unidentified people, asking him about his personal details including where he lives.

The Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC), meanwhile, said they are pushing for a massive manhunt for the suspects, whom they suspect are involved in illegal gambling operations in the area.

"These illegal gambling operations are possibly under the protection of some crooked police. We demand that the police conduct a massive and intensive probe on his case considering that the suspects have been identified," said Vincent Jaudian, COPC President.

Police, meanwhile, said that they are already pursuing several suspects, whose names they refused to divulge to avoid jeopardizing their operations.

'Hard-hitting, soft-spoken'

Labares, who anchors an afternoon news commentary program called "DXCC Express," has been known for his hard-hitting commentaries on illegal gambling.

Apart from his hard-hitting radio persona, however, Labares has been described by colleagues as "soft-spoken, quiet, humble, and never a braggart."

Hugo Orcullo, former Cagayan de Oro Press Club president, said that Labares was "fair and fearless" when tackling issues. "He studies well his subject matter before discussing it on air," he said.

Labares also hosts a Sunday morning entertainment program called "Babayeng Bagol", where he dishes out advice to wives with marital problems using gay lingo and adopting a "gay accent". Labares is also the editor-in-chief of "Isports Balita" a local tabloid.

'Media killings'

In a statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), a guild committed to securing the interests of Filipino media practitioners, condemned the slay attempt on Labares, saying that it is part of moves by the government to repress the media.

"These continued attempts to silence the independent media, whether through physical assaults, government attempts at control or devious legislation are alarming symptoms not just of a general breakdown in law and order but, worse, of an increasing drift towards repression," NUJP Vice Chairperson Nonoy Espina said.

The COPC, meanwhile, said that they were alarmed by the incident, especially since it had just conducted an indignation rally following the murder of another radio commentator in Ozamis City, identified as Ernesto Rollin, who had been shot and killed last week by unidentified gunmen.

A lawyer from the human rights group KARAPATAN said the unabated killings of journalists was due to the state's inability to bring the perpetrators to justice.

"Mindanao has become a hotbed of extra-judicial killings. The slay attempt on Labares showed us that he has been effective in his advicacy while it is also sending us a strong message that no one should mess with any illegal activity or one's life will be at stake," KARAPATAN lawyer Beverly Selim-Musni said.

Based on NUJP statistics, more than 60 journalists have been killed since 2001, and almost a hundred since 1986. -- With reports from MM Guillera, Newsbreak and Rod Bolivar, ABS-CBN News