The family said Lapid received a lot of death threats before he was killed, and because of his brave commentaries on various issues, a lot of angles (on possible motives for the shooting) could be considered, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) Secretary General Ronalyn Olea told CNN Philippines’ Balitaan on Tuesday. (Read More Here).
Lapid was a staunch critic of the current administration and of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Medyo challenging din po ‘yong magiging imbestigasyon pero from the looks of it, batay doon sa topics na kanyang tinalakay, ay malamang po work-related ito,” Olea said.
[Translation: The investigation will be challenging but from the looks of it, based on the topics he tackled, the killing is probably work-related.]
Las Piñas City Police said Lapid was gunned down by two assailants at the gate of a subdivision along Aria St., Barangay Talon Dos. One of the attackers was on a motorcycle while the other was on board a white Toyota Fortuner.
“We are deeply saddened and angered by the brutal and brazen killing of fearless broadcaster, father and husband, brother and friend, Percy Lapid,” a statement of Lapid’s family posted on Facebook said.
There was no immediate comment by the government, while police pledged to hold the perpetrators to account.
“We are not discounting the possibility that the shooting could be related to the victim’s work in media,” local police chief Jaime Santos said in a statement.
Mabasa’s family called his killing a “deplorable crime” and demanded “his cowardly assassins be brought to justice”, according to reports.
Rights group Karapatan described him as “one of the country’s fiercest truth-tellers”.
The International Federation of Journalists also condemned Mabasa’s killing and called on the government to investigate the case.
“He is the latest in a long list of journalists killed in the country,” it said. Mabasa’s killing followed the fatal stabbing last month of radio journalist Rey Blanco in the central Philippines.
The Philippines has one of Asia’s most liberal media environments, but it remains of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists, particularly in its provinces.
At least 187 journalists have been killed in the past 35 years in the Philippines, according to international watchdog Reporters Without Borders, including 32 in a single incident in 2009.
The Philippine National Police vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable, saying the local police created a special investigation task force and that the probe is underway.
Meanwhile, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevarra said he would meet with the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, as well as with the Southern Police District to ensure the conduct of the investigation “proceeds without any problem and submit to us, report to us hopefully within the next seven days.”
The CHR, meanwhile, denounced the killing of Lapid, as it stressed journalists’ role in “upholding democracy and demanding accountability in any society.”
“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,” it added.
Mabasa had been critical of “red-tagging” – accusing someone of being a communist sympathiser – as well as online gambling operations and misinformation around martial law, the union said. He was also an outspoken critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte as well as policies and officials in the government of his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, it added.
“We strongly condemn this deplorable crime; it was committed not only against Percy, his family, and his profession, but against our country, his beloved Philippines, and the truth,” added the statement posted by Lapid’s younger brother, journalist and former National Press Club president Roy Mabasa.
Before his death, Lapid hosted a radio news commentary program on DWBL 1242 called Lapid Fire, where he delivered hard-hitting criticism of perceived abuses and irregularities by the government. He was also a former broadcaster of DWIZ radio station.
The NUJP said Lapid was the second journalist killed during the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The first was radio broadcaster Rey Blanco, who was stabbed to death in Negros Oriental last month.
Olea said Lapid was the first in recent years to be killed in Metro Manila. He was also the 196th journalist killed in the country since 1986, the year democracy was restored after the ouster of dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, the father of the current president.
Calls for justice over Lapid’s killing have since flooded the comment section on his social media posts.
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