THE Philippine National Police (PNP) vowed on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, to take urgent and decisive action to ensure justice is served for the killing of veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang in Kalibo, Aklan.
In a statement, PNP chief General Rommel Marbil condemned Dayang’s killing on the evening of Tuesday, April 29, inside his residence in Kalibo, Aklan by an unidentified gunman.
“The PNP joins the nation in grieving the loss of Mr. Dayang -- a respected elder of the press, a stalwart of Philippine journalism, and president emeritus of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (Papi) -- whose decades of service left a lasting impact on the country’s media landscape,” Marbil said.
“Mr. Juan ‘Johnny’ Dayang was not only a respected journalist but a cornerstone of Philippine media. To harm a man of his age and stature, in the safety of his own home, is both an affront to human decency and an attack on the very principles of press freedom he upheld throughout his life. The Philippine National Police will not rest until those responsible are brought to justice,” he added.
Marbil has ordered the mobilization of PNP regional units and investigative teams, including the PNP Media Vanguards for the conduct of an in-depth probe into the incident.
In a press conference, PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Jean Fajardo said investigators are already backtracking in order to trace the movement of the suspects before and after the murder was committed.
She said they are looking into all the possible motives of the killing including politics and the victim’s former job as a media personality. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)