“Stop threatening journalists who are just doing their jobs.”
This was the appeal of a journalist who bared of receiving a death threat from an individual claiming she was biased.
ABS-CBN journalist Katrina Domingo on Tuesday, February 11 shared a screenshot of a Facebook message she got from a certain “Ruben” who messaged her on her birthday.
She is not friends with the individual.
“Wow demonyo magkano bayad sayu ni tamba?” he asked.
“Tamba” could be short for “Tambaloslos,” a Visayan term reportedly used to attack a person’s character.
It also refers to a mythical creature with a grotesque appearance and mischievous behavior in Visayan and Mindanao folklore.
Meanwhile, Ruben threatened to behead Domingo in his succeeding message.
“Pot*nginamo hindi ka aabutan bukas hayop ka. pupugutan kita ng ulo,” he said.
The journalist acknowledged that is it currently “election season” in the country.
“Emotions are running high, but there should be no excuse for these kinds of messages,” she added.
“Stop threatening journalists who are just doing their jobs,” Domingo continued.
‘HINDI KA AABUTAN NG BUKAS… PUPUGUTAN KITA NG ULO’
Received this message on my birthday.
It’s election season again in 🇵🇭 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. pic.twitter.com/phvTPXYMYQ
— Kat Domingo (@_katrinadomingo) February 11, 2025
In the comments, Domingo told an online user that there is a “need to exercise prudence” as they have no idea if Ruben might have a “mental disability” or a “troll” who “just grabbed a pic [and] name” of a legitimate person.
“Kawawa naman,” she wrote.
The journalist also said she had already informed her network about the death threat.
“ABS-CBN is looking into it, but thank you for your concern!! Much appreciated,” Domingo responded to the online user.
Domingo is a multi-platform journalist who covers politics and produces human interest stories for ABS-CBN.
Last January, she said the elections were her “favorite coverage season.”
“Stressful but fulfilling days ahead,” the journalist wrote on her Facebook page before.
The Philippines is having its 2025 midterm elections this May 12, in which over 18,000 seats (both local and national) are up for grabs.
The campaign period for national bets has already begun.
Reports said this year’s midterm polls are considered a high-stakes power struggle and a preview of a likely battle between the camps of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2028 presidential race amid their fallout.
Meanwhile, the Philippines remains one of the deadliest countries for journalists, according to non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders.
In 2024, the country ranked 134th out of 180 in the organization’s World Press Freedom Index.
RWB noted that journalists especially suffered “many verbal attacks” during former president Rodrigo Duterte‘s six-year term, with “any media deemed overly critical of the government” suffering “judicial harassment.”
It added that while the attacks became “fewer” since Marcos assumed office in 2022, “harassment by means of threats and ‘red-tagging’ persists, while defamation and cyber-defamation are still punishable by prison sentences.”
