Killing of Juan Jumalon

Juan Tumpag Jumalon, known on air as "Johnny Walker," was a Filipino radio broadcaster for 94.7 Gold Mega Calamba FM in Calamba, Misamis Occidental. He regularly broadcast his program via Facebook livestream to roughly 2,400 followers, and his show was known for entertainment and light-hearted content rather than news or political commentary. He was the second journalist killed on-air in Mindanao since 1985 and the fourth journalist killed since the start of the Bongbong Marcos administration in June 2022.

On November 5, 2023, at approximately 5:22 a.m. local time, two men wearing caps approached the gate of Jumalon's home in Barangay Don Bernardo A. Neri, claiming they needed to make a public announcement about lost belongings. After staff let them in, one man drew a gun on a staffer while the other entered the radio booth and shot Jumalon twice, in the lower lip and the back of the head. He was 57 years old. The gunman also stole a necklace before fleeing with a third accomplice who had waited on a motorcycle as a lookout. The shooting was captured on both the Facebook livestream and a CCTV camera; the livestream footage, later deleted but preserved by viewers, showed blood coming from Jumalon's mouth as instrumental music continued to play. Family members rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His family said they had not received any prior threats against him.

Jumalon's widow, Jerrebel Jumalon, said she believed the motive was a personal grudge rather than his journalism, noting that his program focused only on entertainment. She said that shortly before his death, her husband had won a court case related to a dispute over the land where their radio station was located.

Police said they were investigating whether the killing was work-related or personal. Misamis Occidental police director Colonel Dwight Monato said Jumalon had a heated argument with two people over the land dispute two days before his death, and that the gunman used a .45 pistol. On November 6, 2023, police released a composite sketch of one suspect. By November 8, 2023, police said they had determined the identity of one suspect but did not disclose it publicly while the investigation continued. Three suspects were ultimately charged with murder and theft.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. condemned the killing and ordered the national police to track down the perpetrators, stating that attacks on journalists would not be tolerated. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and the Mindanao Independent Press Council Inc. described the killing as "brazen" and "barbaric." The Presidential Communications Office expressed condolences and condemned the attack. Senators Bong Revilla and Robin Padilla called for a swift investigation, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez said he was "deeply saddened." Human Rights Watch urged the Marcos administration to implement measures to prevent further killings of journalists.