Philippines: Journalist Percival Mabasa shot dead; murder sparks public outrage

A prominent Philippine radio journalist, Percival Mabasa, was killed while driving in the country’s capital Manila, the police said on Tuesday. Thekilling has sparked protests and drawn condemnation from media groups, activists, politicians and foreign embassies who have described this “brazen” attack as a blow to press freedom in the country.

According to reports, the 63-year-old radio broadcaster, also known as Percy Lapid, was shot by two gunmen riding a motorcycle at the gate of his residential compound in the Las Pinas area of Manila. The incident took place on Monday night when he was driving to work at the DWBL radio station, said the local police.

The country’s police chief has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and indicated that they will set up a national task force to investigate the attack. “We are not discounting the possibility that the shooting could be related to the victim's work in media,” said police chief Jaime Santos in a statement, as the motive of the attack remains unclear.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) took to Twitter and published a statement condemning the attack on Mabasa saying, “Thiskilling shows that journalism remains a dangerous profession in the country.That the incident took place in Metro Manila indicates how brazen the perpetrators were, and how authorities have failed to protect journalists as well as ordinary citizens from harm.”

Mabasa used the broadcast name Percy Lapidfor his show “Lapid Fire” and one of his recent segments warned people of the dangers of “red-tagging” which is reportedly slang that is used to dismiss dissenting voices by accusing them of being communist sympathizers. According to the NUJP statement, he also commented on the security risks of the country’s overseas online gambling operations and misinformation around martial law.

Reportedly, Mabasa’s show had also been critical of the previous President Rodrigo Duterte and his successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of the ousted dictator. However, reports have suggested that Marcos Jr’s office was concerned about the killing and has called for officials to conduct an investigation.

The journalist’s family has called this killing a “deplorable crime” and demanded that “his cowardly assassins be brought to justice,” said media reports. On the other hand, foreign embassies of the Netherlands, Canada and the UK have condemned the killing and called for swift action against the assailants.

ALSO READ: 'Hold the line': Philippines' Maria Ressa fights for press freedom

This comes weeks after another radio broadcaster Rey Blanco was stabbed to death on September 18. Mabasa is the second journalist to be killed under Marcos Jr’s administration, said the statement by NUJP. While the Philippines has been one of Asia’s most liberal media environments, it remains one of the most dangerous places for journalists, particularly in the rural areas of the country.

According to a report by the international watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, at least 187 journalists have been killed since 1987. This includes 32 journalists killed in a single attack on a rural opposition politician, his supporters and the reporters covering him in 2009.

The rights group Karapatan described Mabasa as “one of the country’s fiercest truth-tellers”. Meanwhile, the International Federation of Journalists also condemned the killing, calling it “the latest in a long list of journalists killed in the country,” and urged the government to investigate the case.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE