Of the 210 cases, eight media workers were killed under the Marcos Jr. administration as of October this year.
CAGAYAN DE ORO — “You cannot practice journalism without press freedom.”
Danilo Arao, a journalism professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, said this amid continuing media attacks. Despite campaigns waged by advocates, attacks continue to stifle the freedom of the press—a crucial aspect for people to exercise their right to information.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), in fact, monitored 52 alleged press freedom attacks and violations, including three killings, from January to October this year, a bit higher compared to the same period in 2024.
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These incidents—mostly from Luzon—were added to the cases monitored since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. became President. A total of 210 alleged press freedom attacks and violations were monitored under his administration.
NUJP data showed that a huge percentage of recorded attacks were harassments (e.g., surveillance and verbal assaults) with 69 cases. This was followed by red-tagging with 31 and cyberattacks with 19 incidents.
Slain journalists under Marcos Jr.
.Of the 210 cases, eight media workers were killed under the Marcos Jr. administration as of October this year. The number is lower compared to the 24 reported killings during the entire regime of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The following were the media workers killed this year:
Renato Blanco
On September 18, 2022, Renato Blanco, a radio broadcaster of Power 102.1 DYRY RFM, was stabbed near his neck in Mabinay, Negros Oriental. He was rushed to the nearest hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
In a report by Inquirer.net, suspect Charles Amada, who surrendered to authorities, confessed to a police official that he got upset with Blanco’s repeated criticism of him and his family in his radio program.
NUJP learned that Blanco had two pending libel cases prior to his death.
Radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid, was shot dead inside his vehicle in Las Piñas City on October 3, 2022.
The case of Mabasa, known for his critical commentaries, was considered high-profile after then-Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and BuCor Directorate for Security and Operations Superintendent Ricardo Zulueta were implicated as the alleged masterminds of the killing.
Self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial and three persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the New Bilibid Prison involved were sentenced to imprisonment. Zulueta died from heart failure in March 2024, while Bantag remains at large to this day.
Oriental Mindoro-based broadcaster Cresenciano Bundoquin was killed after two motorcycle-riding armed men shot him in front of his store in Barangay Sta. Isabel, Calapan City, on May 31, 2023.
Isabelo Lopez Bautista, who was allegedly involved in the killing, surfaced before the authorities. His alleged cohort, identified as Narciso Ignacio Guntan, died when their motorcycle crashed during their escape.
Bundoquin had been criticizing illegal gambling and local politics in his radio program. The Presidential Task Force on Media Security said that Bautista claimed he and Guntan were employees of a certain Felix Solis, allegedly the biggest carnival operator in Mindoro.
Juan Jumalon
Juan Jumalon, also known as DJ Johnny Walker, of Gold FM 94.7 Calamba in Misamis Occidental, was gunned down by unidentified assailants while he was airing his program on November 5, 2023. The assassination of Jumalon was caught during a livestream.
The suspects, identified as Jolito Saja Mangumpit, Reynante Saja Bongcawel, and Bobby Bongcawel, were arrested. But they were acquitted by a local court due to a lack of evidence.
Possible angles in the killing included local elections and his radio business, although authorities did not rule out the possibility that the killing might be related to his job as a broadcaster.
Maria Vilma Rodriguez
eMedia Production Network journalist Maria Vilma Rodriguez was shot while sitting in a store located a few meters from her house in Barangay Tumaga, Zamboanga City, on October 22, 2024. Rodriguez died in the hospital.
The suspect in the killing was arrested, and the city’s top police official reportedly disclosed that the incident was not related to her job as a journalist.
In a report by Inquirer.net, police identified the attacker as Rodriguez’s neighbor and relative. It was also mentioned that the victim allegedly had a rift with a relative.
Veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang was shot dead while watching television inside his house in Kalibo, Aklan, on April 29, 2025. Dayang was the president emeritus of the Publishers Association of the Philippines Incorporated.
Police identified the gunman as BB Boy Kim Wency Antonio, which led them to declare the case “cleared.” But family members and a media group criticized the police because of this.
Among the angles in the killing include politics and Dayang’s former job as a journalist.
The 63-year-old Erwin Segovia, an anchor of the Diritsahan program of Barangay Radio FM, was gunned down in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, on July 21, 2025. Segovia was reportedly on his way home on board his motorcycle after his morning radio program.
A primary suspect identified through an alias of “Jeffrey Birador” was arrested by authorities 12 days from the day of the incident.
Prior to the killing, Segovia tackled in his radio program the situation in public elementary schools in the city and the concerns of tricycle drivers.
Albay-based broadcaster Noel Samar was killed in a gun attack that took place at Purok 3, Barangay Morera, Guinobatan town, on October 20, 2025. He was rushed to a hospital but died the next day.
In a report by DZMM Teleradyo, one of the alleged gunmen was identified through a composite sketch. The incident may have been related to the victim’s work as a broadcaster, according to police authorities.
NUJP said in an earlier statement that these cases should be treated as work-related killings until determined otherwise because of the “climate of impunity” in the country, where the culprits, especially the masterminds, are rarely prosecuted or convicted, citing the Ampatuan Massacre in 2009 as an example.
‘Difficult’ category
The Philippines’ ranking in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index improved compared to 2024. This year, the country ranked 116th out of 180 countries. It went up from its 134th rank last year.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the purpose of this annual assessment is “to compare the level of freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories.”
The definition of press freedom used by RSF is “the ability of journalists as individuals and collectives to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety.”
Despite the improvement, the country is still under the dark orange category, which equates to a “difficult” score.
On the other hand, the Philippines ranked ninth in the 2024 Global Impunity Index, which lists the world’s top offenders in allowing murderers of journalists to go unpunished, with 18 unresolved media killings. It fell one rank compared to its 2023 ranking. The country has been on the list for 17 years.
These ratings show that the country is still considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. (DAA)
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