CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A gunman shot dead a Filipino radio news anchor Sunday inside his studio in southern Philippines, the fourth journalist killed since President Ferdinand Marcos took office in June of 2022.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) confirmed the murder and identified the victim as Juan Jumalon.
The 57-year old Jumalon was in his home-based radio station Gold FM 94.7 in the town of Calamba in Misamis Occidental when shot by the gunman who gained entry to the studio by pretending to want to make an announcement.
Jumalon was fatally shot in the head during his on air program and died instantly from the attack with the shooter quickly escaping from the house.
Two video clips recorded on surveillance televisions in the compound showed the two gunmen overpowering a gatekeeper while one of the attackers rushed to the studio and shot Jumalon and grabbed his gold necklace. The gatekeeper was left unharmed as the duo made their daring escape.
The PTFoMS, headed by journalist Paul Gutierrez called on the police to find the killer and bring him to justice.
“Even as we extend our sympathy to the victim’s family and friends over this dastardly attack, we also call on the Misamis Occidental Police Office to immediately constitute its SITG (task group) to investigate this incident and apprehend the suspect and others possibly involved in the interest of justice,” Gutierrez said.
He also alerted the National Bureau of Investigation, which is also part of the PTFoMS, to also start gathering evidence in support of the ongoing investigation to hasten its resolution.
“We also call on our colleagues in the media and the public not to resort to any speculation or make baseless accusations that can only distract our investigators on the true motive for the attack on Jumalon. Instead, we call on them to provide relevant and factual information that can hasten the resolution of this incident,” Gutierrez said.
Other journalists killed under Marcos administration were radio commentator Percival Mabasa, who was gunned down in October last year in Manila; radio broadcaster Rey Blanco who was stabbed dead in Negros Oriental in September; radio announcer Cris Bundoquin who was killed in May in Oriental Mindoro.
The Philippines remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, particularly for radio broadcasters, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The Philippines ranked eighth in the CPJ 2023 Global Impunity Index for countries where the killings of journalists go unpunished. (Mindanao Examiner)
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