A FEMALE radio announcer on Thursday was found butchered in her home in Bgy. Poblacion, Bacolod, Lanao del Norte.

Lanao del Norte police information officer Lt Col. Salman Saad identified the victim as Audrey Gaid Estrada, 59, a widow, and a resident of Bgy. Poblacion, Bacolod town.

Estrada was a commentator at community Radio101.3 Grace Covenant FM before she was murdered.

She was found stabbed 15 times in her house at 6:45 a.m. on Thursday.

Her colleagues told police that Estrada was not a “hard-hitting commentator” but was only reporting based on facts.

Malacañang has condemned the killing of Estrada.

Presidential Task Force on Media Security executive director and Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco said the Palace condemns in the strongest possible terms the killing of the Lanao-based radio broadcaster.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family, loved ones, and colleagues of Ms. Estrada. Rest assured that this government will not rest until the perpetrator of this heinous crime is brought to justice,” Egco, in a statement, said.

Egco, a former journalist himself, assured relatives of Estrada that they are already in talks with the Bacolod Municipal Police Station and the Philippine National Police Media Security Vanguard for a thorough probe on the incident.

Probers found 15 stab wounds on Estrada’s body. A 13-inch knife was also found near the crime scene.

Police are investigating the incident.

On Friday, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos has ordered the Lanao del Norte Police Provincial Office to investigate the gruesome murder of Estrada.

“Our investigators are now collating other substantial pieces of evidence, including the CCTV footage, that the PNP was able to secure. At this point, it is too early to conclude if her death has something to do with her profession as a broadcast journalist. It is timely that we have established our pool of PNP media vanguards to focus on cases of this nature,” the PNP chief said.

“We will determine if this is really a media-related violence considering that a number of past victims of media killings are commentators or even block timers,” he added.