Justice for ‘Mang Johnny’

By Alex P. Vidal 

“The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.” —Lois McMaster Bujold

SINCE it is election season, some people might think former Publishers Association of the Philippines Incorporated (PAPI) board chairman Johnny “Juan” Dayang, 89, was murdered in his Barangay Andagao residence in Kalibo, Aklan on April 29 because of politics.

No one can tell since Mang Johnny was also once a politician, having served as OIC mayor of Kalibo, Aklan after the EDSA Revolution in 1986 until 1987.

But who would be interested to kill an 89-year-old semi-retired media leader inside his house?

There was no report he was a candidate in the May 12, 2025 Philippine election that would bolster suspicions he was “silenced” by a political rival.

It was not known if he was actively campaigning for certain national and local candidates.

Did he write an expose against corrupt and bad elements in society that made them plot his murder as an act of vendetta?

Police investigators will have their hands full since the grisly murder has been reported all over the world and various international and national media organizations have condemned the incident and called for justice.

It was, perhaps, the first major incident of media killing in the Philippines involving a very prominent personality in the profession under the Marcos Jr. administration.

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We knew Mang Johnny as a publisher of the Philippine Graphic Magazine; we were together on many occasions involving mostly PAPI and Federation of Provincial Press Clubs of the Philippines (FPPCP) affairs in Metro Manila in the early 90s.

I remember having attended a three-day national PAPI affair together with Mang Johnny and my fellow journalists from Western Visayas held at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila sometime in 1996.

It was one of the last PAPI events that I attended and was cut short because I was scheduled to fly to Jakarta on the last day.

We once attended his birthday party also in the 90s held in a big hotel in Malate, Manila together with the late Panay News publisher Daniel “Danny” Fajardo, Dayang’s bosom friend and regular companion during the foreign trips of the late former President Fidel V. Ramos.

We condemn Mang Johnny’s senseless murder, and we are confident his assailants, believed to be hired assassins, will soon be identified and arrested now that police probers reportedly have moved to secure possible CCTVs nearby that would help in their investigation.

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Research reveals that people who sit for long stretches may be twice as likely to develop chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer–even if they exercise. “Standing not only burns more calories, it also stimulates the circulation of a dietary fat-absorbing enzyme called lipoprotein lipase,” says Barbara Ainsworth, Ph.D., a professor of exercise and wellness at Arizona State University.

DANGER OF HOT WATER. When we are in a rush, it’s tempting to use hot water from the faucet to brew our Earl Grey. But this shortcut can expose us to contaminants like lead, copper, and rust. “Hot tap water is more likely to leach these compounds from your pipes,” warns James M. Symons, the author of Plain Talk About Drinking Water. That may put us at risk to potential problems, such as lead poisoning.

LET’S WORK SLOWER, BOOST OUR CAREER. We may think owing our bosses requires lots of multitasking, but concentrating on one project at a time will make us successful. “Don’t assume you can process multiple pieces of information simultaneously–spreading your attention too tin ups your odds of making a careless mistake,” says Mark Fenske, Ph.D., a co-author of The Winner’s Brain.

“Don’t wash, I’m coming home!” — NAPOLEON TO JOSEPHINE, on his way back to Paris from the front. Napoleon, a wide reader, knew that a woman’s genitals are a self-cleaning system and in fact more sanitary than many other parts of the body, including the mouth. The scent of nature and nature is good.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.— Ed)