Czech Republic to fund project that will commemorate life of slain Filipino broadcaster

Percy Lapid was the host of “Lapid Fire” over AM radio station DWBL. (Photo from a video on the Facebook page of Percy Lapid Fire)

MANILA, Philippines — The Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Philippines will fund a project to commemorate the life of slain broadcast journalist Percival Mabasa, popularly known as Percy Lapid.

The project, called “Keeping the Flame of Freedom Alive,” will be funded by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Philippines, covering a total cost of P1 million. This will also be mounted by the embassy in partnership with the Center for People’s Media.

“I am very excited about the future implementation of our Transition Project because projects like this support rule of law and human rights. This is the main purpose of this project. And, I am more than confident that this one will support both, and that it will facilitate adherence to freedom of speech and freedom of media in the Philippines,” said Dalibor Mička, Chargé d’affaires of the Czech Republic Embassy in Manila in a statement on Monday.

According to Center for People’s Media President Veronica Uy, the project will be mounted through three forums.

One will be held in Manila on October 3, in time for Lapid’s first death anniversary, while the other two forums on press freedom and democracy will be organized in Dumaguete City and Cagayan de Oro on a still unidentified day.

“The project also includes the archiving of Lapid’s broadcast episodes into one website,” said Uy in the same statement.

Lapid, a veteran radio broadcaster, was gunned down in Las Piñas City on the evening of October 3, according to the Philippine National Police.

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JPV