What was meant to be a walk of quiet reflection and religious observance turned into a scene of cold-blooded execution on Wednesday afternoon, as the woman at the helm of Puerto Princesa City’s international airport was gunned down while heading to Ash Wednesday mass.
Joanna Jonson-Infante, the Manager of the Puerto Princesa International Airport, succumbed to her injuries late last night. She had been fighting for her life in a hospital after being ambushed just steps away from the San Pedro Parish Church, a route she had walked many times before, but one that would ultimately become a “kill zone.”
The brazen attack occurred around 5:30 PM along Bayview Road in Barangay San Pedro. The streets held their usual late-afternoon rhythm, filled with the steady stream of Catholic faithful filtering toward the parish to receive the sign of the cross on their foreheads.
Infante was among them, walking toward the evening rites, when the hum of the neighborhood was violently torn apart.
Security footage from a nearby establishment reveals a chillingly deliberate and intentional execution. The video shows the gunman closing the gap until he was a mere arm’s length behind Infante. With terrifying precision and no hesitation, he discharged three shots at point-blank range.
It was the kind of killing that bore all the hallmarks of a professional hit. It was calculated, deliberate, and carried out without a chilling lack of hesitation for there was no struggle, no exchange of words, and no attempt at robbery — just the rapid, mechanical fire of three bullets delivered at a distance so close it left no room for escape. The gunman vanished into the thinning light before the echoes of the three rounds had even faded from the street.
In the immediate chaos that followed, the usual sounds of the neighborhood were replaced by shock and commotion. A local priest, preparing for the evening service, was among the first to reach the crime scene. He found Infante lying bloodied on the pavement, providing what comfort he could as bystanders scrambled to call for help.
Emergency responders rushed her to ACE Medical Center, where a team of doctors worked for hours to stabilize her. However, the severity of the wounds sustained in the targeted strike proved fatal. She was pronounced dead late Wednesday night.
The targeted slaying has caused widespread public alarm, resulting in a swift and comprehensive deployment of provincial police resources to track the perpetrator. PCOL Cristine M. Tabdi, Director of the Puerto Princesa City Police Office (PPCPO), announced the formation of SITG Infante, a Special Investigation Task Group with a singular, urgent mandate: identify the motive and apprehend the killer.
PMAJ Noel A. Manalo of Police Station 1 is currently leading a forensic deep dive. Investigators are backtracking through hours of CCTV footage from various points in Barangay San Pedro, looking for “scouts” or lookouts who may have been loitering in the area prior to the hit.
While police were initially silent on whether the motive stemmed from her professional life at the airport or a personal grievance, the investigation has taken a dark turn following revelations from the victim’s family.
Family members revealed to investigators that Infante had been shadowed for several days prior to the attack, noting a persistent and unidentified individual on a motorcycle who appeared to have her under constant surveillance. More alarmingly, they revealed she had been receiving death threats linked to her alleged knowledge of an exposé involving a certain government agency.
This testimony suggests that the hit was not a random act of violence, but a high-stakes “silencing” of a potential whistleblower. The clinical nature of the attack points toward a professional contract, orchestrated by those who feared the information Infante reportedly held.
As of Thursday morning, no suspects have been named, but the SITG is reportedly following “significant leads” involving Infante’s recent communications and professional files.
For the Infante family, this Lenten season begins with an unimaginable void. While others received the mark of ashes as a symbol of mortality, they were forced to confront its reality in the most violent way possible.
A familiar walk to prayer has been permanently stained by tragedy, leaving a family to navigate a season of sacrifice defined not by faith, but by a sudden and devastating loss.
