Capiz broadcaster escapes ambush by unidentified gunmen

CMFR/PHILIPPINES — Capiz-based radio broadcaster Jay Lavapiez, 48, was ambushed by two unidentified gunmen early morning of June 22, along a highway in Barangay Cagay, Roxas City. 

Media reports said that Lavapiez was driving on the way to their radio station at around 5:45 a.m. when two individuals on a motorcycle began following him. Security footage released by Daily Guardian, showed one of the men firing multiple gunshots at Lavapiez’s vehicle. Lavapiez survived the attack with no severe injuries. 

Residents said that they had observed the two individuals lurking around the area before the incident took place.

Roxas City authorities have confirmed that the attack was an attempt to kill Lavapiez but are still probing whether it was work-related or not. 

Lavapiez serves as the radio manager for Baskog Radyo. He and his wife, India, or “Mamang India”, are currently facing numerous cyber libel cases filed by the mayor of Sigma, Capiz in 2025 after reporting on a local official’s ownership of a cemetery that, allegedly, had not received official permit. 

In a Facebook post, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned the attempted assassination on Lavapiez and called for the Philippine National Police (PNP) to immediately identify the perpetrators behind the incident.

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) issued its statement condemning all acts of violence and intimidation against journalists and renewed calls for media organizations, civil society, and government agencies to work together to ensure press freedom and the safety of journalists and other workers in the media.