A community radio announcer was shot dead by a lone assailant in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, Philippines, on Friday.

Julio Calo, 49, was gunned down by an unknown assailant who pulled over in an SUV outside his house in Barangay Robles.

Calo was the host of the program “Waswasanay sa Quinto Distrito” on 88.3 DNN News FM in Himamaylan City.

La Castellana police chief said they are probing the incident to determine the motive for the killing.

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMs) condemned the killing. “Such an attack on a journalist poses a significant threat to press freedom and the safety of journalists in our country,” it said.

The Negros Island Region chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines also condemned the killing, calling it “part of a disturbing pattern of attacks against media workers in our country.”

It called on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We also reiterate our challenge to the government and security forces to end the culture of impunity that has allowed these crimes to continue without justice.”

Calo is the ninth journalist killed during the Marcos Jr. administration. In the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Philippines ranked 116th out of 180 countries  — its highest ranking in 21 years.

The country received a global score of 49.57 and was considered in a “difficult situation” for journalists. RSF said the Philippines is the deadliest country for journalists in Asia Pacific with almost 200 journalists killed in the last 40 years.