Philippines’ Marcos Jnr condemns ‘brazen’ killing of journalist, orders investigation

“Attacks on journalists will not be tolerated in our democracy, and those who threaten the freedom of the press will face the full consequences of their actions,” Marcos said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

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Media watchdog NUJP also condemned the “brazen killing” which it said was caught on a livestream of Jumalon’s show. Jumalon’s home in Calamba, Misamis Occidental served as his radio station.

Police said the suspect gained entry to Jumalon’s studio by pretending to want to make an on-air announcement. He escaped and Jumalon was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.

The attack was recorded on video, said Paul Gutierrez, the head of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security. It showed the suspect shooting the broadcaster twice and grabbing his gold necklace before leaving, Gutierrez said.

Captain Deore Ragonio, police chief in Calamba municipality, said they were investigating a motive for the killing. They were not aware of any previous threats against Jumalon’s life.

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“He tackles mostly current events and is not known to have criticised anyone in his broadcasts,” Ragonio said.

Jumalon’s killing brings to four the number of journalists killed since Marcos Jnr took office in June last year, and to 199 since democracy was restored in the Philippines in 1986. That figure included 32 killed in a single incident in 2009.

The Philippines has one of Asia’s most liberal media environments, but it remains one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists, particularly in its provinces.

It ranked as the eighth worst country when it comes to prosecuting killers of journalists, according to 2023 Global Impunity Index released by the Committee to Protect Journalists released this week.