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October 22, 2025 – Philippines –
Radio broadcaster Noel Bellen Samar, 54, was ambushed Monday morning while driving along Maharlika Highway in Barangay Morera, Guinobatan, Albay province. The unidentified gunman fired at him, striking his chest and abdomen. Samar was transported to a Legazpi medical facility, but succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday after undergoing surgery.
Samar worked with Kadunong ITV and DWIZ News FM – institutions that provide critical information across the Bicol region. His death was swiftly condemned by the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), which described the attack as not only a crime against an individual but a significant threat to press freedom.
In response to the incident, the international press-freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demanded that Philippine authorities launch a full, transparent investigation into the killing. RSF highlighted the possibility that Samar’s professional work was the motive and urged prosecutors to identify both the shooters and any masterminds. The case adds to the Philippines’ dire record on journalist safety, where deadly attacks and impunity remain persistent problems.
Local law enforcement sources say leads are emerging, yet concerns remain high about how many such cases stall without resolution in a country often ranked among the world’s most dangerous for reporters.
The incident underscores the acute risks faced by regional media professionals who, unlike national correspondents, frequently operate without extensive security support and often cover topics that bring them into conflict with local interest groups or power holders. Their vulnerabilities are increased because they work on provincial roads early in the day and away from major urban centers.
Samar’s killing is a stark marker of the threats facing local journalism in the Philippines. It amplifies broader concerns about inadequate protection mechanisms, slow investigations, and the chilling effect on press reporting when journalists become targets. Press-freedom advocates say urgent reforms are needed — including independent investigations, stronger safeguards for broadcasters, and systemic efforts to end the culture of impunity that allows such attacks to continue.
The media community and civil society are now waiting to see whether Samar’s case will result in tangible accountability — a critical test of the Philippines’ commitment to protecting those who report the news and speak truth to power.
Reference –
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2128056/broadcaster-dies-hours-after-ambush-in-albay
https://rsf.org/en/rsf-calls-thorough-investigation-murder-radio-journalist-philippines
