Juan Jumalon

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro has strongly condemned the shocking killing of radio broadcaster Juan Jumalon earlier this month. 

In a virtual press conference on Friday, Nov. 10, Castro denounced the brutal killing of Jumalon, better known to his listeners as “DJ Johnny Walker”. 

He was fatally shot by an unidentified gunman last Nov. 5 while doing a live broadcast at his home-based studio in Calamba, Misamis Occidental. 

“Ito ay pang-apat na sa ilalim ng Marcos administration na pagpatay sa mga journalist. Ito ay pang-199 mula noong 1986. 199 na mga journalists and media personality ang mga pinatay,” Castro said. 

(This was the fourth journalist to be killed under the Marcos administration. This is the 199th since 1986. 199 journalists and media personalities have been killed.) 

“Kabahagi ito ng kulturang namamayani mula pa noong, lahat lahat, last administration ‘yung culture of impunity. Itong pinalala pa ito ng last administration na ‘kill, kill, kill’,” she added. 

(This is part of the culture that has prevailed since, all in all, the last administration, the culture of impunity. This was made even worse by the last administration which was “kill, kill, kill”.) 

On Friday, Castro led the Makabayan bloc in filing House Resolution (HR) No.1427 to strongly condemn the killing of Jumalon. 

Through HR No. 1427,  they appealed to the House to urge the Marcos administration “to immediately investigate his murder, to hold accountable those responsible, and to take concrete steps to stop media killings and such other attacks against free speech and press freedom”. 

“Tayo po ay nakikiisa doon sa panawagan ng ating mga kasamang media, mga journalist, dito sa kanilang panawagan na hustisya para kay DJ Johnny Walker,” Castro stressed. 

(We stand in solidarity with the call of our fellow media, journalists, in their call for justice for DJ Johnny Walker.) --Dexter Barro II