OF COURAGE AND OUTRAGE: The Attacks on Cebuano Journalists

As long as the people clamor for the truth, the press refuses to die. Hours spent with eyes pried open and ears pressed to the ground, journalists thrust the power of the written word to the surface, lest facts linger forgotten in the shadows. 

While applauded as a noble path, truth-telling for journalists remains a duty fraught with threats. And behind every byline is someone who wonders if their story will make it into the day’s print uninterrupted, or if it will be one kept from the light, stalled and silenced by those who fear what the pen bleeds. 

 In the third week of September, Cebu Press Freedom Week is held to celebrate its community of local journalists, who have endured a series of threats,  censorship, surveillance, and harassment in defense of the truth. Since 1984, media workers in the province have made it a point to annually remind the public that the freedom it enjoys was not simply granted, but earned through years of hard-fought struggle. Now in its 33rd year, Cebu commemorates its culture of press freedom, kept alive in honor of those who had wielded the power of the pen and in solidarity with those who continue to stand their ground for the truth.

Cebu Press under Martial Law

Cebu, a bastion of anti-dictatorship resistance, carries a history of defiance against media repression during Marcos Sr.’s regime. 

In Press Behind Bars: Journalists Remember Martial Law, Mayette Q. Tabada interviewed two of the province’s first political prisoners, who, as per their accounts, were taken into custody for publishing reports critical of the government. One of these prisoners is historian and National Artist for Literature Resil B. Mojares, whose ‘de facto beat’ as a journalist for The Freeman was the student movement. Even after his ‘conditional release,’ Mojares recounted that he still faced further restrictions in the form of ‘provincial arrest’ and a ban on giving interviews or publishing any work. Veteran journalist Juan L. Mercado also shared his experiences of being one of those subjected to “Asso,” or arrest-search-and-seizure order, detained “for subversion pursuant to Proclamation 1081.” These accounts, however, are just two of the countless people in the press who were barred from making critical truths known to the public.

As the media crackdown took hold,  those who dared resist the regime’s propaganda gave rise to  alternative media and underground publications, which Marcos Sr. disparagingly called the “mosquito press.” A counter to his ‘crony press’ mouthpiece, this included publications like Liberation, Dare to Struggle and Dare to Win, Taliban ng Bayan, and Ang Masa, serving as voices of dissent, where the people’s lived realities are heeded and chronicled even within detention cells.

Commemorated at the same time as the country remembers Martial Law, Cebu Press Freedom Week is a celebration and a call to embody the stubborn pursuit for the truth even in the face of tyranny. It is a time of remembering the press’s critical role in the province’s history of resistance, where archives reveal reports deemed too subversive for print, of voices gradually fading from the radio, of names and numbers in headlines — accounts of gunfire, the silence that followed, and the rage that echoed after.

Attacks on Cebu Media Workers

The count of press attacks continues to this day. In a tracker created by Cebu Journalism and Journalists (CJJ) Magazine and the Citizens-Press Council, documented reports of human rights abuses against Cebuano media workers, from verbal to physical assaults, warn of the dangers that continue to plague the press.

1. 1961: ANTONIO ABAD TORMIS,  newspaper editor and radio broadcaster.
   

• Incident:

Tormis was shot three times in Cebu City after leaving a barber shop. The gunman, Cesario Orongan, and mastermind Felipe Pareja, Cebu City Treasurer, were convicted, along with two accomplices. 

• Findings:
  The murder was linked to Tormis’s exposés on Cebu City Hall corruption.  
• What Happened After:  
  The Supreme Court upheld the convictions, marking it the first fully documented media-related killing in Cebu, with all perpetrators convicted. Tormis’s memory is honored at the CJJ Media Gallery in Museo Sugbo, and a street in Cebu City is named after him, where a marker was placed on Borromeo Street where he was killed.

2. 1984: VICENTE “VIC” VILLORDON, lawyer and radio commentator for DYLA.

• Incident:

According to police accounts, he was shot in the head three times by two gunmen near his Cebu City law office, just after hosting his “Labor Hour” radio program. He was about to exit his car when the attack occurred, making him the seventh media victim slain that year.

• Findings:

Villordon, “known for his sharp criticism of communism and government,” received death threats before his killing, even discussing it on air. Though the police did not determine the motive, Pastor Alcover Jr., a former communist rebel who later became a party-list congressman and Cebu City councilor, alleged it was a revenge killing by his former comrades in the CPP-NPA.  

• What Happened After:
  No arrests or prosecutions were made.

3. 1985: NABOKODONOSOR “NABING” VELEZ, radio commentator.   

• Incident:

He was attacked by six gunmen while watching his daughter being crowned at a beauty contest in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City. A village security guard who was with him was also killed.

• Findings:

Police suggested the motive was a “personal grudge,” likely from Velez’s broadcasts about a 1984 killing involving two warring groups, where he named names. An unnamed DYLA employee shared that his commentaries had angered certain groups, though no further details were provided.

• What Happened After:
  No arrests or charges were made.

4. 1987: LEO ENRIQUEZ III,  news reporter of SunStar Cebu and correspondent of the People’s Journal. 

• Incident:

According to records from the Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), he was gunned down near his house in Mandaue City. Two weeks before his death, an arson attempt was allegedly made on his house by suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

• Findings:

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that Enriquez was killed by the NPA in 1987. A former member of the armed group, he showed strong support for anti-communist vigilantes and was involved in some paramilitary activities. It was noted that his “committed journalism” blurred the line between “activism” and paramilitary work.

• What Happened After:
  Pastor Alcover Jr. once again alleged that he was killed by the NPA. 

5. 1995: AMBROSIO IYAS,  a block-time radio commentator on Radio DYLA

• Incident:

Iyas was shot on the terrace of his home in Barangay Sta. Rosa, Lapu-Lapu City, during the campaign period of the May 1995 elections. He was the campaign manager of then-Vice Mayor Norma Patalinghug, who was running against incumbent Mayor Ernest Weigel Jr. 

• Findings:

There was no clear evidence to determine whether Iyas was killed because of his radio work or for other reasons. The police did not publish findings from their investigation.

• What Happened After:
  Pastor Alcover Jr. once again claimed that the murder was conspired by members of the NPA.

6. 2003: AMPER CAMPAÑA, SunStar Cebu photographer. 

• Incident: 

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered Campaña, who had arrived to cover an event, out of his office. Before Campaña could even take a full step inside, Osmeña confronted him out loud, saying, “Who gave you the authority to enter? Get out!” He then instructed his bodyguards to escort Campaña out of the building.

• Findings:
  Osmeña had given no prior instructions to his staff about restricting media access when he ordered Campaña’s exit.  

7. 2003: LINETTE C. RAMOS, JOSEPH C. TUBILAN,  AND ALEX A. BADAYOS, the former two were reporters and the latter a photojournalist of SunStar Cebu.

• Incident:

At a family compound in Barangay Maslog, Tabogon town, Fr. Oscar Ornopia lambasted the SunStar Cebu team that approached him for comment on recent issues raised against him. He called them profane words: “panuway” (devils), “buang” (fools), and “peste” (pests), and more threateningly — slamming the mahjong table with his mayor brother — warned them, “Pamusilon ta hinuon mo ron” (I could shoot you now) at least three times. 

• Findings:

The incident occurred the day after Fr. Ornopia was removed from his parish duties due to allegations of fathering two sons with two women. While other family members permitted the reporters to approach him for an interview, Ornopia and his brother responded aggressively. 

8. 2005: SUZZANE SALVA,  Cebu Daily News (CDN) reporter. 

• Incident: 

Salva notified her editorials of text messages warning her to slow down in writing news stories lest she be killed.  

• Findings:
  She suspected that the death threats came from a news source. On August 5, 2021, Salva shared with CJJ Magazine, “As far as I can recall, the threats were related to the news I reported regarding a bribery incident in the prosecutor’s office.”

9. 2006: GREGG RUBIO, a reporter of The Freeman and Banat.

• Incident: 

He was allegedly threatened by a police officer assigned to the Daanbantayan, Cebu police station, who said he would “behead” him. The threat was made after a meeting of the Sitio organization in Daanbantayan, where Rubio’s family resides.

• Findings: 

Rubio was voted as the new president of the organization, replacing the police officer’s wife, who had allegedly failed to account for funds raised during the fiesta celebrations. This angered the police officer, who objected to Rubio’s election due to his status as a “media man.”

• What Happened After: 

The sitio group conducted a second election and selected Rubio’s mother as president. Rubio had the police officer’s threat “blotted,” as the officer’s son was reportedly a known troublemaker in the area. However, he chose not to file a formal complaint against the officer.

10. 2007: ALEX BADAYOS, SunStar Cebu chief photographer.

• Incident: 

About 20 supporters of Bogo City Mayor Celestino Martinez Jr. attacked  Badayos at the Bogo City Hall while he was trying to photograph a man who had snatched a ballot box from a Comelec official. He was punched, kicked, and his camera and laptop were stolen.  

• What Happened After:

Six Bogo Traffic Management employees were charged with assaulting Badayos. The case took four years to reach the Ombudsman.  

11. 2011: CARMEL LOISE MATUS, CDN correspondent 

• Incident: 

 Matus accused Talisay City Police Chief Henry Biñas of sexual harassment. After an interview with Biñas, in which Bombo Radyo reporter Robert Sabiquil had already left, Matus claimed that Biñas grabbed her, touched her breast, and tried to kiss her cheek as she was about to leave his office. 

• What Happened After:

Matus filed a formal administrative complaint with the Police Regional Office 7. Biñas denied the allegations, claiming he only placed his hand on her shoulder in a friendly manner. Biñas was found guilty of simple misconduct and reportedly lost his benefits for a period of time.

12.  2011: REY PASAPORTE, Bantay Radyo, and Banat News reporter 

• Incident: 

Former PDEA-7 director Adrian Alvariño was accused of harassing Pasaporte after the latter published a story linking Alvariño to an alleged payoff that led to the release of a suspected drug lord. In a phone call, Alvarino allegedly warned him about the article: “Ito na lang. Tandaan mo ‘yan, Rey ha, babalikan kita.” diyan.” Shortly after, Pasaporte received a text from Alvariño saying, “Pasensyahan na tayo.”

13. 2013: BEXMAE JUMAO-AS, reporter, and LEOFIL LABASTIDA, cameraman of GMA Cebu’s Balitang Bisdak

• Incident:
  Four Koreans, including John Lee, identified as the general manager of the Cebu Korean Association, forcibly grabbed  Jumao-as and  Labastida outside the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office. The news crew had filmed the Koreans refusing to comment on a murder involving a Korean suspect. 

• What happened After:
  Despite being pressured to delete the footage, the police offered no assistance to the journalists in recovering their camera.

14. 2013: GUAM LOGRONO, DYSS Super Radyo reporter and Superbalita Cebu correspondent 

•  Incident:

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 Director Esperidion Javier allegedly challenged Logroño to “a duel over the phone” after Logroño interviewed him about his team’s raid on a suspected drug dealer’s house without a search warrant.

• What Happened After:

In 2014, PDEA Director General Arturo Cacdac Jr. suspended Javier, who had already been reassigned by the time the suspension was issued, according to a SunStar Cebu report. 

15. 2020: SHERIZA MAE UY, Cebuano-language newspaper Banat News reporter  

• Incident: 

Uy was halted by “Tagalog-speaking” police officers while working in Barangay T. Padilla, Cebu City, and was allegedly “held for 15 minutes” until they acknowledged her as a journalist.   

• What Happened After:
  The police officers involved were from the Philippine National Police’s elite Special Action Force, sent to Cebu City to assist with enforcing health protocols amid the rise of COVID-19 cases. Media workers were exempt from quarantine pass requirements under Executive Order 82 issued by Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella.

16. 2021: LORRAINE ECARMA, Rappler’s Cebu correspondent 

• Incident: 

Ecarma was denied entry for two hours to the Police Regional Office 7 in Cebu City, where she planned to cover the release of one of seven individuals arrested during a police operation at a temporary school for Lumad children inside the University of San Carlos Talamban Campus.

• Findings:
  She was informed by ununiformed police officers that she couldn’t record videos due to “security reasons” and was labeled as part of a “fake news outlet.” While other local media personnel were permitted inside, Ecarma had to wait outside for two hours before being allowed entry.

These incidents prove just how dangerous the media world can be and how justice is stalled even for journalists who live under constant threat for the truth. For a work that’s granted the medal of nobility, we sometimes forget that the people in the press must be afforded the freedom and security to inform. There needs to be constant reminding that they persist today because of a relentless struggle — one that, tragically, has already cost lives.

How much longer can we allow truth to be silenced at such a deadly cost?