Filipino radio presenter Juan Jumalon, known as DJ Johnny Walker, was shot and killed on Sunday during a live broadcast he hosted from a studio in his home. The attacker was allegedly allowed into the studio because he claimed he wanted to announce “something important” on air. This is another journalist killed in a country considered one of the most dangerous places for media workers.
Jumalon, 57, known as DJ Johnny Walker, was broadcasting from a studio in his home on the island of Mindanao on Sunday morning when an unidentified assailant fired two shots at him, including at least one in the head. Relatives took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on its website.
According to this newspaper, a video showing the journalist’s death circulated on social media. The Philippine press also reported that the attacker was allowed into the studio because he claimed he wanted to announce “something important” on air.
President of the Philippines: I strongly condemn this murder
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior said on social media that he “strongly” condemns the murder of the journalist. At the same time, he announced that he had ordered the police to conduct “a thorough investigation in order to quickly bring the perpetrators to justice.” “Attacks against journalists will not be tolerated in our democracy, and those who threaten press freedom will face the full consequences of their actions,” he wrote on the X platform.
“While a motive has not yet been determined, we are currently treating this incident as ‘work-related,'” said Paul Gutierrez, director of the special presidential unit for media security.
Filipino radio presenter Juan Jumalon shot dead during a live broadcast94.7 Gold FM Calamba/Facebook
“Barbaric” murder
Industry organizations also condemned the killing. “This attack was all the more condemnable because it took place in Jumalon’s house, which also served as a radio station,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement.
The Mindanao Independent Press Council described the killing as “barbaric” and said the violence against journalists was “a serious attack on the fundamental principles of human rights, press freedom and democracy as a whole.”
Jumalon is the 199th journalist murdered in the Philippines since 1986 and the fourth since Marcos Jr. became president in June 2022. The American organization Freedom House considers this country one of the most dangerous for journalists in the world.
The murder took place on the island of MindanaoGoogle Maps
Main photo source: 94.7 Gold FM Calamba/Facebook