RADIO anchor Johnny ‘Johnny Walker’ Jumalon was doing a live broadcast from the booth of 94.7 Gold FM Calamba beside his house in Calamba town, Misamis Occidental when a gunman barged in and shot him at around 5:35 am yesterday ― silencing him forever.
The killing was captured live on the Facebook page of the radio station owned by Jumalon. In his program “Pahapyod sa Kabuntagon,” the 57-year-old Jumalon was reading congratulatory messages for those who won Monday’s barangay election when two successive gunshots were heard, apparently fired from the left side of the frame and just as quickly, the gunman grabbed Jumalon’s necklace.
The audience could see Jumalon as he was shot and as he was breathing his last. The background music that had been playing during his program, continued.
Police are still investigating the possible motives behind the killing of Jumalon who succumbed to two gunshot wounds on the head, according to the investigators. The gunman and his lookout fled towards a parked motorcycle and sped off.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned the killing of Jumalon fearing this could open the floodgates for more killing of community journalists in the countryside.
“Many community journalists have reported to us receiving threats from politicians and their supporters in the aftermath of their coverage of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections last Oct. 30,” NUJP Mindanao Safety Office chief Kath Cortez said.
The NUJP said the attack is even more condemnable since it happened at Jumalon’s own home, which also served as the radio station.
Police Corporal Paul Guigayoma of the Calamba municipal police station in Misamis Occidental said Jumalon was airing his morning radio program when the gunman barged inside the studio and fired twice leaving him slumped on the announcers’ booth.
In a report to the PNP 10 regional headquarters, police investigators said the suspect pretended to announce on air and was allowed entry to the small radio station located beside the house of Jumalon in Barangay Don Bernardo Neri, Calamba town.
Guigayoma said once inside the studio, the gunman drew his firearm and shot Jumalon twice. Before fleeing, the police said the suspect grabbed the gold necklace of Jumalon.
He said the family of Jumalon rushed the broadcaster to the nearby Calamba District where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Guigayoma said the arrival of the suspects (there were two) was recorded by a CCTV in Jumalon’s house.
“They knew their way around because they opened the iron gates and barged inside the radio station. One suspect acted as a lookout,” Guigayoma said
He said the killers ran towards a motorcycle which they parked a short distance from the house of Jumalon.
Guigayoma said police investigators are looking for more CCTV videos that can help them identify the killers.
The NUJP said the killing of Jumalon is the 199th since 1986 and the fourth under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Jumalon’s killing reminded many of what happened to Charles Aberilla of DXWG
in Iligan City, except that there was no video recording of Aberilla’s death 38 years ago.
Aberilla was a radio commentator who was killed by three armed men who entered the announcer’s booth of DXWG and shot him at around 5:45 a.m. on April 29, 1985. Listeners heard the gunshots and Aberilla gasping for breath and groaning. before he was completely silenced. The radio station went off-air.
