89-year-old vet jour shot dead at home in Kalibo

Veteran journalist Juan 'Johnny' P. Dayang, aged 89, was shot dead on Tuesday evening at his home in Kalibo, Aklan.

An unidentified gunman entered Dayang's house around 8 p.m., firing three shots while he was inside watching the news and sipping tea; local authorities launched a full investigation after he was rushed to Dr. Rafael Tumbokon Memorial Hospital where he died on arrival.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has mobilized investigative teams, including the PNP Media Vanguards, to help expedite the investigation into Dayang's killing and identify those responsible; PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil strongly condemned this 'senseless and cowardly act' as an affront to press freedom.

Dayang, who briefly served as interim mayor of Kalibo following the 1986 EDSA People Power revolution and was president emeritus of the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc., left behind a legacy of service in media and politics; Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr., among others, remembered him as a 'dear friend' and described him as a 'towering figure'.

The Iloilo Media-Citizen Council strongly condemned Dayang's killing as 'senseless and brutal', warning that no one is safe from attacks against journalists; the National Press Club (NPC) has urged a thorough investigation by the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, which is coordinating with PNP to identify those responsible.

More than 200 media workers have been killed in the country since 1986, according to data from NUJP, highlighting the ongoing threat to press freedom.