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Photo of veteran journalist Johnny Dayang.
Papi Publisher via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang, 89, was shot dead inside his home in Kalibo, Aklan on Tuesday night, April 29.
An unidentified assailant attacked Dayang at around 8 p.m. He was rushed to Dr. Rafael Tumbokon Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
The Aklan Police Provincial Office confirmed Dayang’s death and released initial details of the incident.
Dayang was a columnist for Manila Bulletin's Balita and Tempo, and briefly served as mayor of Kalibo following the 1986 People Power Revolution.
He was also president emeritus of the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. (PAPI), a non-profit organization representing some 500 community newspapers across the country.
Its members include practicing journalists from print, broadcast and online media.
Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr. (Aklan, 2nd District) remembered Dayang as a “dear friend,” describing him as a “towering figure” in Aklan and the media landscape.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the brutal killing of Johnny in his beloved home province of Aklan. This act of violence is a deep wound to our community and to the values he upheld throughout his life,” he said.
The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) condemned Dayang’s killing on Wednesday, April 30, and said it is coordinating with the Philippine National Police and other agencies to identify and apprehend those responsible.
“We stand in solidarity with the media community as we mourn the passing of Mr. Dayang, a figure regarded as a pillar of Philippine journalism whose contributions greatly enriched our democratic discourse,” PTFoMS Executive Director Jose Torres Jr. said in a statement.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines also condemned the killing of the veteran journalist and acknowledged the PTFoMS for its “swift action” in pursuing justice for Dayang.
Torres appealed to the public to stay alert to attacks against the press and to stand in solidarity with efforts to safeguard press freedom and media workers in the country.
