By: Jun Nucum
Filipino Americans in Southern California join their Filipino advocates for free press and human rights counterpart in demanding for justice for Filipino broadcaster Percy Lapid Mabasa who was very critical of the government, especially the continuous extra judicial killings was murdered October 3 last year.
The Los Angeles County-based FilAms led by National Federation of Filipino American Associations-Greater Los Angeles through and US Filipinos for Good Government (USFGG) organized a fundraiser dubbed as Memorial for Percy Lapid – Oct 1 2023 https://www.gofundme.com/f/memorial-for-percy-lapid-oct-1-2023 and has gathered almost $3,000 as of eight days ago when latest donations count was stopped.
On October 1, 2023 (Sunday), the forum organized by NaFFAA was held at the Carson Park Activity Room, Carson, CA while the Memorial Service for Percy Lapid was held at the Community Room, Towers on the Park New York City.
The family of Percy Lapid (all 14 of them) flew to the United States after receiving threats because they fear for their lives believing that the current Marcos administration cannot protect them. They are seeking refuge in the United States to be able to freely express their opinions and to continue advocating for justice for the death of their father.
Kids of slain broadcast journalist Percival Mabasa became emotional during the Memorial Service sponsored and organized by National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) held in Carson City, California. The lady rightmost in this photo is Erlinda Granada-Sabah, who chaired this tribute to Percy Lapid. She’s the treasurer of the National Federation of Filipino American Association. (Photo by Nicanor B. Arriola)
The NaFFAA-GLA forum was attended by the children of Percy Lapid Mabasa including eldest daughter Valerie Sy and Anna Muhlach.
Sy stressed that their family is united in their call for swift justice to ensure that those responsible for the killing of their father be arrested and held accountable for the murder.
“As a father, he always wants us to have a comfortable life,” Valerie shared. “We hope that you will join us in our fight for justice, for all those in the media who were killed…that the name of our will not just belong to statistics.”
Muhlach was in tears in saying that they are very proud of their father adding, “You may see us smiling but in reality it is very painful. We all want you to remember our father as someone who fought for the truth. Those who killed my father took away the time he would have spent with us.”
The Percy Lapid campaign is not just a campaign to seek justice for the death of Percy Lapid. It is a campaign for FREEDOM. It is a campaign to say to the world that every person has the right to speak her own mind. It is campaign to say “Killing of mediamen” in the Philippines should stop, that killing is wrong no matter how rampant it is and that we have to say STOP.
Percy Lapid represented not only the journalists/ mediamen whose lives are in danger as they fulfill their professional responsibilities to the public. The Percy Lapid campaign is a campaign not only for justice, but for FREEDOM of Expression, for Freedom of Journalism, for RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
Percy Mabasa, also known as, Percy Lapid, spent his 35-year career as a journalist highlighting corruption among the powerful. Thousands of listeners watch the radio program of Percy Lapid every night because of his fearless opinions. The killing of Percy Lapid is a continuing assault to freedom of expression in the Philippines.
Community members, student leaders/activists, and National Federation of Filipino American Association (NaFFAA) Board of Directors, Officers and members who organized Percy Lapid Memorial Service posed with the kids of prominent broadcaster Percival Mabasa or Percy Lapid of Lapid Fire, a Philippine radio program. Ka Percy was assassinated on Oct. 3, 2022 in the Philippines. Oct. 1, 2023 Carson City. (Photo by Nicanor B. Arriola)
Since 1986, there have been 198 journalists killed in the Philippines, based on the data and monitoring of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and Rappler. The NUJP included only media workers who were killed in relation to their job.
Of the last six presidents, from Corazon Aquino to Rodrigo Duterte, the highest number of killed journalists was under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with 103 – 32 of them massacred in Maguindanao. Under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., three journalists were killed including Percy Lapid.
