On Monday, a local radio journalist was shot dead in the southern Philippines, a presidential task force said, adding to the growing list of media workers killed in a country ranked among the most dangerous in the world for journalists.
The deceased, identified as 63-year-old Erwin Labitad Segovia, was a broadcaster for Radio WOW FM and host of a program that focused on social issues and local governance. He was gunned down by an unidentified shooter while on his way home shortly after completing his morning broadcast.
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According to the police, Segovia was followed by two suspects on a motorcycle.
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The Philippines ranked ninth on the 2024 Committee to Protect Journalists’ Global Impunity Index, which tracks countries where journalist murders remain unsolved.
In a statement, Jose Torres Jr., executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, said. Officials have launched an investigation and activated a Special Investigation Task Group to handle the case.
“The safety of journalists remains a priority for the government, and justice for victims of media-related violence continues to be a national concern,” Torres added.
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Segovia’s murder highlights the continuing risks faced by journalists in the Philippines, especially in provinces where local power dynamics often go unchecked.
According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, over 200 journalists have been killed in the country since democracy was restored in 1986, including 32 in a single incident in 2009 in the south of the country.
