The death of another radio worker in the Philippines last Friday caused fear among the island nation’s media community. On March 20, 2026, a miscreant shot and killed Julio Calo, 49, in front of his home in Barangay Robles in the La Castellana region.
After suffering a severe head injury, Julio, a former block-timer for 88.3 DNN News FM, passed away instantly. The gunman drove a white sport utility vehicle away from the crime scene.
Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights organization, condemned the incident and demanded justice for the victim. PEC chief Blaise Lempen observed that the Philippines continues to be a dangerous country for journalists and other media workers. “The island nation has lost a significant number of media employees in recent years, but shockingly, most of the cases remain unresolved where the perpetrators get immunity from the corrupt system. PEC (pressemblem.ch) urges for an impartial probe into the incident and stringent punishment for the murderer under the law,” said Lempen.
PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative, Nava Thakuria informed that a block-timer, recognized as a broadcaster in the Philippines, usually purchases airtime from a radio station to host community programs independently.
The victim ran a program at a community radio station based in Himamaylan City. Julio thus becomes the 14th journo-victim this year around the world and the first one in his country. It recorded four journo-casualties (Juan Johny Dayang, Erwin Labitad Segovia, Noel Bellen Samar, and Gerry Campos in 2025.
*
Email *
Website
