A radio journalist was killed last week by a bullet shot to the head by unidentified gunmen in Malidegao town in Cotabato province, Philippines.

Nestor Micator, 56, was a news reporter and disc jockey at D’Empire Radio Station based in Pikit town.

He was riding with his wife on a motorcycle when they were attacked by a gunman who escaped on a waiting motorcycle.

He was a member of the Lupong Pambarangay – a group of community leaders in Fort Pikit, which helps local residents resolve conflicts and peace and security problems.

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) executive director Undersecretary Jose Torres Jr. called for a swift and impartial investigation into the fatal shooting, describing the incident as a grave attack on press freedom and public discourse.

“The killing of any media practitioner is a matter of serious concern. Acts of violence against journalists undermine not only press freedom, but also the public’s right to information and the democratic space where issues affecting communities are discussed openly,” he said.

“Journalist Nestor Micator’s brutal killing is an outrage and symptomatic of the unbroken cycle of impunity in the Philippines,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Until President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government shows it is serious about preventing and resolving media murders, these wanton killings will continue.”

Micator is the second Philippine journalist killed in the past month, following the shooting of RJ Nichole Ledesma on April 19 during a Philippine Army anti-insurgency operation in Negros Occidental province.