Radio broadcaster shot dead in Philippines

A local radio broadcaster was gunned down in the southern Philippines on Monday, according to the presidential task force on media security, underscoring the continuing dangers faced by journalists in one of the world’s deadliest countries for media workers.

Erwin Labitad Segovia, 63, a broadcaster for Radio WOW FM and host of a programme on social issues and local governance, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman while on his way home shortly after his morning broadcast, according to authorities.

Police said Segovia was followed by two suspects on a motorcycle before he was attacked.

Authorities have launched an investigation and activated a Special Investigation Task Group to pursue the case, Jose Torres Jr., executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, said in a statement.

“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 said.

The Philippines ranked ninth on the 2024 Global Impunity Index by the Committee to Protect Journalists, which lists countries where journalist murders remain largely unsolved.

More than 200 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since democracy was restored in 1986, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, including 32 in a single massacre in the south of the country in 2009.

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