𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂'𝐒 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄

Kathleen Anne Silvino, Aliza Arcilla | The Capitol

Posted on October 24, 2022 | 2:17 PM

And now, Lapid fire has already stopped blazing.

Last October 3, the voice behind the program Lapid Fire, Percival Mabasa, mostly known as Percy Lapid, was shot dead in Las Pinas City. The death of the veteran broadcaster rapidly became a controversy. Many people were seriously alarmed—not just because a person died, but due to its menace to press freedom, the possibility of history repeating itself, and erasing journalists' true purpose in society.

It's only been 100 days since Marcos Jr. was seated in the presidency, and two journalists, including Mabasa, were killed under his watch. Mabasa's death created a chilling effect on the public and media practitioners, knowing that Pres. Bongbong Marcos is widely known as the son of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. The latter has a past of silencing the media during his regime.

During Martial Law, the former dictator accused the mainstream media of discrediting the government by exposing its weaknesses and failures—which led him to shut these media outlets down and create his own controlled media to manipulate Filipino people into believing that his government is perfect.

Aside from that, journalists who tried to reveal his crimes were arrested, tortured, and killed. This fact cannot be erased and forgotten easily. Given that and what is happening today, we cannot blame ourselves for thinking that history is repeating itself. Duterte and Marcos already have armies of trolls on Facebook, Youtube, and Tiktok, spreading disinformation, distorting history, and glorifying their names.

Mabasa was vocal and bold enough to criticize them, particularly condemning the government's red tagging of journalists and activists. Yet, some people see that his death is justifiable.

According to Lian Buan, a board member of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Mabasa had many followers in the digital space. However, it is mainly dominated by Duterte and Marcos Jr's supporters. These heartless people have nothing to do but blame the victim and say that this is the fruit of only scrutinizing the government's shortcomings.

The government's manipulation tactic brainwashes the public's view of the press. They demonize the media when a journalist's job is only to report transparent information. Journalists are watchdogs of the government; hence, they are obliged to report their activities, be it failure or not. How can journalists, the agents of truth, disregard this role when all of this is for the public's sake and not solely ruin the administration? As for Mabasa's job, commentaries are part of journalism, and his opinion matters as much as everyone else's.

Journalists like Mabasa face obstacles in disseminating news in digital space as it is a nest of media haters, disinformation deceivers, and red taggers. Despite that, they always stand still and speak the truth amid blind followers—all for their commitment to serving the public first.

The safety of journalists here in our country will continue to be at risk if the government will not stop red tagging, intimidating, and threatening them. Journalists are not the enemy, and the public shouldn't treat them as one. They are the public's ally, and we shouldn't let those in power silence them.

Killing journalists is killing the public's voice. Gusting Lapid Fire means burying the truth in the dark.