ANC anchor Kat Domingo threatened online

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – On February 11, 2025, Katrina Domingo, ANC’s Headstart anchor, and ABS-CBN’s reporter, posted on her twitter account that she was threatened online. 

“‘HINDI KA AABUTAN NG BUKAS… PUPUGUTAN KITA NG ULO’ Received this message on my birthday. It’s election season again in (PH) and emotions are running high, but there should be no excuse for these kinds of messages. Stop threatening journalists who are just doing their jobs,” her post read, along with a screenshot of the threat of an account named ‘Ruben.’ Domingo covered Ruben’s other details with an emoji.

“We need to exercise prudence kasi we don’t know yet if he may have a mental disability siya or he’s a troll who just grabbed a pic & name of a legitimate person… ABS-CBN is looking into it, but thank you for your concern,” she said as netizens pushed her to take action on the threat.

Ruben threatened Domingo, cursed at her, and accused her of being paid. He said: “Wow demonyo magkano bayad sayu ni tamba? Potanginamo hindi ka aabutan bukas hayop ka. Pupugutan kita ng ulo.” (Hey demon, how much are you being paid by Tamba? You won’t see another day, I’ll chop off your head.)

The account may be referring to House Speaker Martin Romualdez who is often called ‘Tambaloslos’ on social media by netizens who mock his leadership and policies, using the term as a reference to the Visayan mythical creature known for its exaggerated features and foolish nature.

During election season, journalists often become prime targets of threats, harassment, and even violence as they cover politically sensitive issues and hold powerful figures accountable. The highly polarized political climate between the Dutertes and the Marcoses exacerbates these risks, with media practitioners facing online attacks, red-tagging, and intimidation from their supporters.

Election-related violence, even against the media, should be reported. A greater public awareness of this form of attack against the media could help prevent the practice. CMFR noted several attacks and hostility against the media during the 2022 elections; including the banning of reporters at campaign events, refusal by candidates to participate in media-hosted debates, distributed denial of service attacks on news websites, and hostility against news organizations and reporters for their coverage of candidates.