A radio host was shot dead at his home when he was live-streaming his programme on Facebook in the south Philippines on Sunday (November 5, 2023).
Juan Jumalon, known as DJ Johnny Walker, was shot dead inside his home-based studio, media reports said.
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has condemned the killing of the radio host.
The Union wrote on X: “The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines condemns the brazen killing of Juan Jumalon, also known as DJ Johnny Walker, of 94.7 Calamba Gold FM in Calamba, Misamis Occidental this morning.”
The Union said Jumalon is the fourth media worker killed in the country since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. came to power last June.
Meanwhile, President Marcos condemned the incident and asked the Philippine National Police to investigate the killing.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the murder of broadcaster Juan Jumalon. I have instructed the PNP to conduct a thorough investigation to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice,” he wrote on X.
“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,” he said.
Misamis Occidental Police Provincial Office said in a Facebook post the incident occurred at around 05:30 local time.
“According to the reports, the Shooting was perpetrated by an unidentified person/s inside the house of the media practitioner, while on his On Air/Live Facebook the perpetrator entered the radio station and without hesitation shot the victim in the face which caused his untimely death,” read the statement.
As per the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index, the Philippines stands at 132nd position out of the 180 countries listed on it, marking it to be one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.