Last week, a friend of mine was gunned down at his own show in Pampanga. He was a stand-up comedian, and many people claim he died because of his comedy.

Gold Dagal was a good man. I personally knew him because he used to open for me when I did a series of comedy specials in both bars and theaters. He belonged to a different group, though, and later produced his own shows.

Gold had no known enemies, though he had been receiving death threats due to his controversial bits, which, by the way, were mostly religion-related and politics-based. Unlike many mainstream comedians like Alex Calleja, he was drawn to dark humor, which some people understandably might find offensive.

That he was gunned down at his own show, allegedly because of his jokes, is blatantly an overkill — no pun intended. Who would have thought he would be shot dead simply because he was a comedian? But in this age of social media, this is the state in which we live.

Surely, it would be premature to make any conclusions. For all we know, the motive may be different, or his death may not even be related to his comedy. However, the ordeal he went through, particularly the countless death threats he received after a video of his bit making fun of a certain church went viral, adds more sadness to this story. The fact that such a video was posted without his consent makes it even more tragic.

To be honest, his comedy may not be for everyone. If some get offended, that’s understandable. But the fact that his life was threatened because of his act should spark a discussion about free speech. There used to be a time when people could agree to disagree and defend each other’s right to speak and articulate.

Now, that is no longer the case. Sure, free speech isn’t absolute. There are certain utterances you just couldn’t make because they’re unprotected, such as libel, among others. But for the most part, almost every speech is considered protected.

Yet, people nowadays censor you simply because your views oppose theirs. They lambast, cancel and obliterate not because what you say is unprotected but because yours is ideologically different.

The rise of echo chambers further highlights this. We now live in a world where people simply want to hear and read about things they agree with and outright destroy those that are diametrically opposed to what they believe in. They brand these ideas as toxic and claim they do not deserve any space for even scholarly discussion.

As I said, it would be unfair to point fingers at this time in the absence of evidence. We just don’t know the “why” and the “who” of this senseless death. But what he went through prior to his death is a reminder of why free speech is a cherished right. Ultimately, may Gold find the justice that he truly deserves. Here was a young man whose dreams were cut short just because he wanted to bring us laughter.

I remember the first time I met him. He was always full of promise — innocent yet deep. He was so passionate about comedy that he spent countless hours honing his craft. He loved stand-up so much that he was willing to do whatever it took to be one of the best to ever do it.

As a stand-up comedian myself, I can tell you that Gold never intended to offend. He merely wanted to bring laughter to others. The fact that his audience found his comedy, as dark as it may seem, funny is proof of this. If some found it in poor taste or even despicable, that really goes with the territory of dark humor. But, as sure as the sun rises in the east, he never wanted to trigger anyone.

Contrary to what some people say, comedy is not a tool used to normalize certain ideas and beliefs. It is not a root cause but merely a reflection of what we all think about and believe in. That’s why we find jokes funny — they point out the absurdities in some of the mundane things we usually do or even go through.

Hopefully, Gold gets the justice he deserves. Rest in peace, my dear brother! You will be missed!