The family of slain 89-year-old veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang slammed the Philippine National Police for declaring his murder “cleared” even before any suspect could be arrested and the mastermind behind the killing identified.

Some colleagues of the murdered former Kalibo mayor also decried the police decision as suspicious, saying that this invites apprehension of a cover up.

“We, the Dayang family, express, our serious disappointment and deep concern over the premature announcement made by the Kalibo Municipal Police Station declaring the murder case of veteran journalist Johnny Dayang as ‘cleared’,” the family said in a statement.

“A case is not ‘cleared’ when the key suspect is still free. It is not ‘cleared’ when the principal has not been identified. It is not ‘cleared’ when justice has not been delivered,” the family stressed.

Dayang, former president of the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. (PAPI), was shot dead on April 29 while he was watching television at his residence in Barangay Andagaw, Kalibo.

Members of the provincial board reacted to the protest raised by the family and media colleagues of Dayang against the lapses in police action to arrest the suspect.

On June 6, provincial legislators summoned Kalibo police chief Major Frensy Andrade to give updates on the Dayang case and the murder of Slovak tourist Michaela Michova, 23, in Boracay on March 15.

Andrade informed the board that both cases were “cleared”, thus, triggering protest from the Dayang FAmily.

The family noted that while CCTV footages were able to immediately establish the face of the suspect, the local police failed to quickly seal exit points and it took law enforcers days before disseminating the description of the gunman.

“Such inaction is inexcusable. This is not a matter of limited resources—it is a failure of leadership, protocol, and commitment to justice,” the Dayang family stated.

The family also noted that “full coordination” with regional and national law enforcement agencies were also not done during the crucial 48, hours after the killing.

“And yes, we question if the delay in releasing the suspect’s image was intentional,” the Dayangs said.

They added: “These failures suggest a dangerous possibility: that the gunman is no longer accessible, possibly silenced to conceal the identity of the mastermind.”