Open Mic Night: Recent Violence Against Journalists

Percy Mabasa, known professionally on his radio show as Percy Lapid, was a prominent journalist who was shot and killed on October 3, 2022. Known for his open broadcasting against the corruption of authority figures such as Rodrigo Duterte and Ferdinand Marcos Jr, he was only one of hundreds of journalists killed in the Philippines since 1986, after the fall of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. 

Mabasa’s father, who was also a radio commentator, lost his job due to the closing of newspapers and radio stations on a national scale, reflecting the increased government censorship of media. At court, libel laws were also being used to incriminate journalists and ultimately put them in jail or prison. This increased government surveillance under Duterte and Marcos Jr. further undermined efforts of resistance and freedom of expression in the Philippines.