Media practitioners decry murder of veteran journalist Johnny Dayang

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'He was a pillar of small community newspapers,' Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Manny Mogato says about the late Johnny Dayang

CEBU, Philippines – Filipino journalists decried the murder of Aklan-based veteran journalist and former Kalibo town mayor Juan “Johnny” Dayang on Tuesday evening, April 29.

According to local authorities, an unidentified gunman shot Dayang three times from outside his home in Barangay Andagaw, Kalibo, Aklan. The victim was brought to the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital but was declared dead on arrival. 

In a statement, Nelson Santos, president of the Publishers Association of the Philippines Incorporated (PAPI), where Dayang was a former board chairman, condemned the killing and called for justice.

“Hindi niya deserve ang cruel and senseless end (He did not deserve this cruel and senseless end),” Santos said on Wednesday.

For PAPI, Dayang’s death represented “a significant loss to the Philippine media and political landscape.” According to the media group, Dayang served as president of PAPI for over 20 years and was also founding president of the Federation of Provincial Press Clubs of the Philippines. 

“We join the entire media community in demanding justice for our Chairman Emeritus and his family. We also extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” the PAPI president added.

Leader, man of peace

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Manny Mogato shared his grief over Dayang’s murder, asking: “Who would kill an 89-year-old man of peace?”

The journalist recalled having once been invited by Dayang to his hometown in Aklan to give an inspirational talk to a group of local journalists.

“He was kind and very fatherly to young journalists. He was always there to advise on how to cover politics. He was a pillar of small community newspapers,” Mogato said.

Former DZRH reporter and ex-secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Cesar Chavez also expressed his sadness and outrage.

“Sir Johnny was not only my mentor in my early days in media but also my longtime leader in advocating for the promotion of community press. His commitment to truth and justice will never be forgotten,” Chavez said in a social media post.

A new low

Other media councils and clubs also condemned the killing and mourned the loss of a colleague.

“Words cannot express the profound sadness we feel at the passing of Tatay Johnny, as we fondly called him,” the Aklan Press Club said on Wednesday, April 30.

“His cold-blooded murder inside his own home — where he should have been safest — marks a new low in the attacks against journalists and media workers in this country,” the Iloilo Media-Citizen Council said on the same day.

According to data from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), more than 200 media workers have been killed in the country since 1986.

“The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines joins the media community in condemning the killing of veteran journalist Juan ‘Johnny’ Dayang at his home in Kalibo, Aklan on Tuesday night,” the NUJP said on Wednesday afternoon.

“This attack is especially contemptible as Dayang, who was 89 years old, was shot inside his own home,” they added.

As of writing, police were still investigating the case. – Rappler.com