Manila, APR (EFE) .- Press and government agencies on Wednesday the “cruel and meaningless” murder last night of a veteran 89-year-old journalist in the center of the Philippines, for reasons still unknown, while the police of the Asian country investigates the event.
Juan P. Dayang was shot at his own home on Tuesday night, lamented the Philippine Editors Association (Papi), which the veteran journalist directed for more than two decades.
A hooded assailant shot from outside his residence in the central province of Aklan, in the Western Bisayas region, fatally wounding the journalist, who was declared dead upon arrival at a local hospital.
«We firmly condemn this murder, and ask for justice. He did not deserve such a cruel and meaningless purpose, ”said the president of the Association of Editors, Nelson S. Santos, in a note in which he urged the Philippine authorities to identify the authors of the crime.
In addition to having directed the Association of Editors for years, Dayang headed the National Press Club Filipino and was mayor of Kalibo, his hometown in the late 80s.
-For his part, the governmental presidential work group on media security (PTFOMS) condemned the “hateful” crime.
“We are coordinating closely with all the agencies involved to guarantee the immediate resolution of this case,” said the executive director of the presidential agency, José Torres Jr., in a statement.
The source said that the Filipina Police is investigating the murder, without advancing at the moment the possible reasons. An “apparently premeditated,” said the Editors Association, citing the testimony of a Dayang employee, who claimed to have seen two men watching the journalist’s home that same day.
Philippines is one of the nations of the world where the most reporters are killed every year.
Since 1986, 204 journalists have been killed in the Philippines according to RSF, who documented two deaths in 2023. In one of the most recent cases, journalist Vilma Rodriguez died on October 22 after receiving three shots from a group of assailants not identified in the southern city of Zamboanga, on the island of Mindanao.
