Dayang鈥檚 son appeals for justice
Publishers Association of the Philippines Incorporated president Juan Dayang was shot in his home in Kalibo, Aklan on the night of April 29. — Photo from PAPI Publisher/Facebook
ILOILO CITY — The son of slain veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang has called for justice and the swift arrest of those responsible for his father’s killing.
“We pray and hope for justice. He said there is no peace if there is no justice. So we all hope for that,” said Juan “Jed” Dayang Jr. during his father’s wake at Kalibo Cathedral on May 1.
Jed, the second of three children, shared that their family had been preparing for Dayang’s 90th birthday. He had planned to return to Aklan from Turkey, where he currently works in the embassy.
“We were planning to come here. He had already released an invitation for his 90th birthday. Not all of us reach 90 years old,” he said.
“Death is something we don’t know and don’t like. It’s always just behind us, so we should always be prepared. Like every child, we feel heartbroken that we have lost our father. And for my children, they have lost their grandfather.”
Jed reflected on his father’s deep love for Aklan and unwavering advocacy for the community press.
“He loved Kalibo. He was always here. He was a loving father who enjoyed life, and I think that’s something I take from him. Now that he is gone, he is with our mother who passed away five years ago,” he said.
“Heaven is even better than life on Earth. We request your continued prayers. This is open to anyone who would like to visit him and pay their last respects. I know he had many more friends than I know. He loved mentoring young people, especially young leaders in the media.”
Dayang, he said, championed provincial media throughout his life.
“My father, in his last years, spent many days here in Aklan. Even though he lived in Manila, he always came back. His last words were about wanting to spend more time in Aklan and promote the provincial press,” he added.
Dayang will be laid to rest on May 7 at Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque, where he will be reunited with his wife.
Police continue to investigate the killing. A Special Investigation Task Group (SITG Dayang) has been activated in light of the upcoming May 12 elections.
Dayang, 89, was reportedly watching television when three bullets were fired through the window of his living room at Casa Dayang Residence in Barangay Andagao, Kalibo. He was hit once in the neck and twice in the back while sitting in a rocking chair.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at 8:33 p.m. at Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital.
A pillar in Western Visayas’ media landscape, Dayang had a journalism career that spanned more than five decades. He was the publisher of Philippine Graphic Magazine and the now-defunct Headline Manila and Headline Extra. He also wrote columns for Tempo and Balita.
He led the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. (PAPI) for more than 20 years, served as president of the Manila Overseas Press Club, and founded the Federation of Provincial Press Clubs of the Philippines.
Dayang also served as a commissioner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), and held leadership roles in the Philippine Red Cross and the National Book Development Board.
Following the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, he was appointed mayor of Kalibo by then-President Corazon Aquino, serving from March 1986 to January 1987.
READ: Veteran journo, ex-Kalibo Mayor Dayang, 89, slain at Aklan home
