Threats against and killings of journalists are part and parcel of a journalist’s life
The gruesome killing of another radio broadcaster, Juan Lumalon in Calamba, Misamis Oriental, while he was broadcasting right from his home which he had made into his broadcast studio – recorded on video – is actually the fourth since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office in June 2022.
The whole world might now consider the Philippines as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.
In fact, the killing of journalists had ranked the Philippines as the 8th most dangerous place, Santa Banana, for journalists!
Lumalon, who calls himself DJ Johnny Walker, was the second radio commentator to be killed this year.
Charlie Aberilla was shot dead inside his radio booth in Iligan City.
The other radio commentator killed during BBM’s time were radio commentator Percival Mabasa, who called himself “Percy Lapid,” gunned down in October last year while going home in a car by the now self-confessed gunman who was allegedly hired on orders from the National Bilibid Prisons masterminds who are still fugitives from the law.
The others were Rey Blanco, stabbed dead in Negros Oriental, and radio announcer Cris Bundoqiuin, killed in May of last year in Oriental Mindoro.
A question has been asked: Why are the journalists killed mostly from outside Manila?
Records show some of the killings were personal in nature, mostly because of land disputes, and mostly because, one way or another, the journalists killed had sided with rival politicians.
Nevertheless, whatever the reason, the killings are classified as “journalist killings.” Whatever, these killings are categorized as work-related killings that reflect on the peace and order of a country.
Many of the killings are allegedly masterminded by some people and have never been resolved.
Threats on journalists
Threats against and killings of journalists are part and parcel of a journalist’s life.
In my more than seven decades as a journalist, I can no longer count how many times my life was threatened – either by a phone call or by a note.
When I chose to be a journalist, instead of practicing my profession as a lawyer, I had sworn to God that if it was my time, that was it.
As a journalist, I have lived on my sworn duty to tell the truth.
Thus, when I wrote on controversies and made those exposes, they were done under my sworn duty as journalist to tell the truth.
I had been sued so many times that I can no longer remember and had gone to court so many other times too.
I apologized to some because of my recklessness and mistakes.
That has always been my motto: to correct my mistakes and give a chance for people to explain themselves.
Santa Banana, I had also been kidnapped because of my expose back in the 70s when I exposed three members of the Monetary Board to have dollar allocations and were playing the stock market in violation of the law.
I was kidnapped by a mobster, known to be a killer from Cavite, and put in a room at the old Filipinas Hotel, to await the next morning the explanation of one of the Monetary Board members I had exposed.
It is a label that you are a real honest-to-goodness journalist if you are sued for libel.
In many cases I was even challenged to a fisticuff by a Cabinet member I criticized.
Santa Banana, there was a time when I had to carry a gun, which I hated.
Well, that’s the life of a journalist.