The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) has denounced the killing of Filipino radio host, Juan Jumalon, who was fatally shot during a live broadcast.
The 57-year-old anchor was hosting from his home-based studio in the southern Philippines on Sunday morning when an unidentified gunman, posing as a listener, entered the premises and shot Jumalon twice.
He was taken to the hospital and died upon arrival.
This incident was witnessed by many as Jumalon live-streamed his program on Facebook.
“NUJP condemns the brazen killing of Juan Jumalon, also known as DJ Johnny Walker,” the Union said in a statement on Facebook. “The attack is even more condemnable since it happened at Jumalon’s own home.”
This prompted a candle-lit vigil by the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), advocacy groups and media organizations, who called for an “end to impunity” in attacks against journalists on Sunday evening.
Authorities revealed that a possible motive behind the attack may be linked to a land dispute and a confrontation that preceded the shooting. They’ve also unveiled a computerized sketch of one of the suspects involved in Jumalon’s assassination on Monday.
This tragedy marks the fourth journalist murdered since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office in June 2022.
In a statement on X, President Marcos Jr. wants the police to conduct an investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Attacks on journalists will not be tolerated in our democracy,” he said. “Those who threaten the freedom of the press will face the full consequences of their actions.”
But Jonathan De Santos, NUJP’s chairperson, expressed his dismay, stating that these killings follow a distressing pattern.
“There is [initially] a lot of outrage, and then the government will promise to take action. They promise that people will be held to account. But historically, the opposite [is] how things play out,” said De Santos.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization dedicated to promoting press freedom worldwide, recently ranked the Philippines as the eighth worst country globally in terms of prosecuting the killers of journalists.
The country has gained a notorious reputation as one of the most perilous places in the world for journalists, a fact underscored by this recent tragedy.
