Percival Mabasa, who was popularly known as Percy Lapid, was killed in an ambush in Las Piñas on Monday night, October 3, 2022. Photo from his Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — The killing of Percy Lapid, a broadcaster known for his hard-hitting criticism of government officials, sparked a torrent of condemnation from a union of journalists and other personalities.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned the killing of the veteran commentator critical of former President Rodrigo Duterte and some government officials under the current chief executive.
“The killing shows that journalism remains a dangerous profession in the country,” the NUJP said in a statement on Tuesday.
“That the incident took place in Metro Manila indicates how brazen the perpetrators were, and how authorities have failed to protect journalists as well as ordinary citizens from harm,” they further said.
Meanwhile, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV also lauded Lapid for “standing up for the truth.”
“Your voice inspired Filipinos to stand up for what is right,” Trillanes said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
Former senatorial candidate David D’Angelo also said that Lapid’s murder proved that telling the truth in the country is “dangerous.”
“Speaking the truth and fighting for what is right truly is dangerous in this country,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “You will continue to be an inspiration to those who stand for the truth.”
NUJP noted that Lapid is the second journalist to be killed under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. administration after radio broadcaster Rey Blanco, who was stabbed to death in Mabinay, Negros Oriental last September.
Lapid was ambushed in front of a subdivision in Las Piñas on Monday night, according to the Southern Police District’s incident report.
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