Viewers of the live Facebook broadcast witnessed a heinous attack that resulted in the death of a radio host in the southern Philippines. The radio host, who was known by the stage name DJ Johnny Walker, was shot in his studio.
The shooter, posing as a listener, managed to enter the home radio station of Juan Jumalon, a local newscaster. According to authorities, the shooter fired two shots during a live morning broadcast in Calamba, Misamis Occidental province. The attacker then fled on a motorcycle with a partner who had been waiting outside. The police reported that the assailant also stole the victim’s gold jewelry. An investigation is currently underway to identify the gunman and determine if the incident was related to his work.
For many years, the Philippines was considered one of the world’s most hazardous locations for journalists. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. strongly condemned the shooting and declared that he had given orders to the national police to find, apprehend, and charge the assailants. He stated, ‘In our democracy, attacks on journalists will not be tolerated, and those who jeopardize press freedom will be held accountable for their actions.’ According to the press freedom watchdog, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Jumalon became the 199th journalist to die in the nation since 1986, when democracy was restored following the overthrow of the current president’s father, Ferdinand Marcos, by a ‘People Power’ uprising that led him and his family into exile in the United States.
The assault is particularly reprehensible because it took place at Jumalon’s residence, which also served as the radio station, as reported by the watchdog. In a video capturing the incident, the 57-year-old Jumalon momentarily stops and looks up towards something outside the camera’s view just before two gunshots are heard. He then slumps back in his chair while background music continues to play. Tragically, he was pronounced dead on his way to the hospital. The attacker remained unseen in the Facebook live-stream, and authorities are currently examining whether security cameras at his house and neighboring properties might have captured any relevant footage.
In 2009, a powerful political clan and their allies orchestrated the fatal shooting of 58 individuals, including 32 members of the media, during an assault in the southern province of Maguindanao. This event marked the most lethal single attack on journalists in recent memory. Although the large-scale killing was subsequently connected to the recurring violent competition during elections prevalent in numerous rural areas, it also underscored the dangers faced by journalists in the Philippines.
Journalists in this economically disadvantaged country contend with an abundance of unregistered firearms, private militias controlled by influential clans, and lax law enforcement in rural regions, all of which constitute significant security challenges.
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