MANILA, Philippines – Veteran journalist Roy Mabasa, younger brother of slain broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, is the new host of “Lapid Fire,” Lapid’s last radio program before he was killed in October.

The first episode of the show will air on Wednesday, December 7. Mabasa announced that the show will air regularly Monday to Friday, from 10 pm to 11:30 pm, at DWBL 1242 and on Facebook.

In a message to Rappler, Mabasa said hosting his brother’s program is a big transition for him.

“I’m honored and proud to continue my brother’s program, ‘Lapid Fire.’ It’s a big transition for me as a journalist, from print to radio, from covering the diplomatic beat to tackling broad political and social issues,” Mabasa told Rappler.

The veteran journalist is a long-time reporter for various newspapers, although he has some experience in broadcast journalism. Mabasa and Lapid both started their journalism careers as radio broadcasters because their father was also a radio commentator back in the day.

Mabasa, meanwhile, added he will continue his brother’s brand of being “fearless.”

“I will not be filling Ka Percy’s shoes as nobody could. But I will do my best to continue his legacy of fearless truth-telling, with support from Percy’s family, friends and listeners.”

Before Percy’s death, his program already garnered over 220,000 subscribers on YouTube. In his show, he usually criticized high-ranking government officials, including former president Rodrigo Duterte.

On Wednesday night, Mabasa told Rappler they only did a soft relaunch of the program, adding that his brother’s equipment had issues.

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Lapid was gunned down in Las Piñas City by the team allegedly led by self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial. As investigation progressed, suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and BuCor superintendent Ricardo Zulueta was later pinned as alleged masterminds in Lapid’s killing.

At least 10 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) were also implicated in the case. Bantag, Zulueta, and the PDLs are now facing murder complaints for the deaths of Lapid and Jun Villamor – the alleged middleman in the case.

After his brother died, Mabasa served as their family’s representative – he often faced the public for engagements and interviews. He also represented the Mabasa family in the case proceedings before the Department of Justice.

Mabasa also received threats in the course of his fight for justice for his slain brother. In October, Mabasa revealed that he and Lapid’s son had received anonymous death threats. – Rappler.com