In a shocking incident, a man shot dead a radio anchor inside his home-based station on Sunday, November 5, 2023. The attack was witnessed by viewers watching the program live on Facebook. A policeman was seen checking the area where the incident occurred, as shown in a handout photo provided by the Calamba Municipal Police Station. The image credit goes to the same.
In a shocking incident that took place on November 5, 2023, a radio anchor was shot dead by an unidentified man inside his home-based station. The tragic incident was witnessed by several people who were watching the program live on Facebook. A policeman can be seen inspecting the area where the fatal attack took place in the handout photo provided by the Calamba Municipal Police Station.
On Sunday, a man entered a radio station in the southern Philippines and fatally shot a radio anchor. Shockingly, this attack was witnessed by those who were watching the program live on Facebook.
During a live morning broadcast in Calamba town in Misamis Occidental province, a gunman gained entry into the home-based radio station of provincial news broadcaster Juan Jumalon by pretending to be a listener. Police reported that the attacker shot him twice.
According to the authorities, the victim’s gold necklace was taken by the attacker who then fled with an accomplice waiting outside Jumalon’s residence on a motorcycle. The police are currently conducting an investigation to determine the identity of the shooter and to ascertain whether the incident was related to work.
For years, the Philippines has had the unfortunate distinction of being one of the most hazardous countries for journalists globally.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vehemently denounced the shooting incident and has directed the national police to take necessary measures to identify, apprehend, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In a statement, Marcos emphasized that our democracy cannot tolerate any form of attack on journalists, and those who threaten the freedom of the press will face the full consequences of their actions.
According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, a watchdog for press freedom, Jumalon’s death marks the 199th instance of a journalist being killed in the country since 1986. It was during this year that democracy was restored after a successful “People Power” uprising that overthrew the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, the current president’s father, and compelled him and his family to seek refuge in the United States.
According to the watchdog, the attack is particularly reprehensible as it occurred at Jumalon’s personal residence, which also functioned as the radio station.
In a video capturing the attack, 57-year-old Jumalon, wearing glasses, briefly pauses and glances upwards at something off-camera before two gunshots are heard. He then falls back in his chair, bloodied, as a music track continues to play in the background. Unfortunately, Jumalon was declared dead on his way to the hospital.
Police are investigating whether security cameras installed in the house and neighboring areas have captured footage of the attacker, as they were not visible on the Facebook livestream.
The brutal massacre, which was eventually attributed to a fierce political rivalry that is prevalent in many rural areas, shed light on the dangers that journalists in the Philippines encounter. The country’s poverty-stricken Southeast Asian region, with its plethora of unregistered firearms and private armies controlled by influential clans, as well as weak law enforcement, poses significant security concerns for journalists.
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