Blocktimer sued over tsunami scare

Saturday, February 11, 2012

CEBU CITY -- The police filed Friday a criminal complaint against radio blocktimer Danilo Cogtas for allegedly triggering the tsunami scare in Cebu after last Monday’s earthquake.

Police officials went to the prosecutor’s office a day after they invited, for questioning, witnesses who pointed to Cogtas and Ermita Barangay Councilor Domingo Ando Jr. as the ones who allegedly caused the hysteria.

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Police investigator Antonio Jay Pizarras filed the complaint against Cogtas, who now stands accused of violating Article 153 of the Revised Penal Code (tumults and other disturbance of public order).

The provision says a person shall be held liable for disturbance of public order if he causes “any serious disturbance in a public place, office, or establishment.”

If convicted, the blocktimer faces a fine of P1,000 and jail time of one month and a day up to six months.

A blocktimer is someone who purchases airtime, then produces material for the time slot. Politicians, local governments, religious groups and the makers of health supplements are among their common sponsors.

A 22-year-old employee of a local television network told the authorities that Cogtas talked about how he warned people last Monday about a tsunami.

Cogtas was reportedly taping an episode with Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez last Tuesday night when she overhead him discussing the tsunami scare.

“Hambog kaayo siya. Makalagot gyud (He bragged a lot. It was infuriating),” said Rita (not her real name), describing the radio blocktimer’s behavior.

Cogtas recalled how, in Barangay Pasil, he told a man who was clutching a large basin about a tsunami that was on its way, Rita said. Cogtas reportedly wore a media ID during the incident.

The rumor, however, spread like wildfire and sent hundreds of people running in panic to higher ground.

Witnesses

Chief Inspector Romeo Santander, head of the Cebu City Police Office Intelligence Branch, said the police are serious about sending a message to any person who plans to cause panic.

Witnesses also surfaced before the police and pointed to Cogtas as the culprit, he said.

“Wala mi ma-mersonal. Gibuhat ra namo among trabaho (We’re not taking this personally, just doing our jobs),” Santander said.

The police attached the joint affidavit of two witnesses to support the filing of the case against Cogtas. Ando was not included in the charge.

Motorcycle-for-hire drivers Roldan Espina, 44, and Ryan Pedrosa, 27, said they were at work when the earthquake occurred at 11:49 a.m. last Monday.

Around 2 p.m., the witnesses said they saw people running outside of the buildings and homes and rushing to higher ground, saying a tsunami was on its way.

Curious, they said they boarded their motorcycles and went to the Pasil fish port, where the supposed tsunami originated.

Media ID

“Before we could continue driving toward the coastline, we happened to pass by a man on a motorcycle shouting loudly at the people that a tsunami was coming.”

He was wearing a big ID prominently around his neck. “He was also wearing a dark sleeveless vest like the one worn by media people,” the witnesses said in their affidavit.

Considering that their homes are far from the shoreline, the witnesses said they instructed their family members to remain calm.

The following day, the witnesses said they read in local newspapers that the police were tracking down the person supposedly responsible for the tsunami scare.

As aftershocks continue, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma advised people to be responsible in sharing information, to be vigilant and to follow precautions to avoid injury and loss during disasters.

“My advice is for people not to cause a false alarm,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.

“Thank God it’s over. But we need to be prayerful and also to be vigilant. There are also normal precautions we can easily follow,” he added.

The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines referred to precautions such as being aware of aftershocks.

Impact

“Avoid making dwelling places on unstable cliffs,” the prelate also advised.

“Let’s continue to pray that God will continue to protect us,” said Palma over Manila Archdiocese-run Radyo Veritas.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that as of Friday morning, at least 1,428 aftershocks were recorded, of which 87 were felt.

Last Monday’s earthquake, with its epicenter near Tayasan in Negros Oriental, affected 21,076 families or 93,397 persons. At least 39 were confirmed dead, with 71 still missing.

Damage to roads and bridges, mostly in Negros Oriental, was pegged at P364.30 million.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said a total of P23.46 million worth of relief goods has been distributed to the affected families.

They still need, among others, drinking water, food, medicines, blankets, clothes, tents, emergency lights and batteries. (DSM/BAP/GMD/Sun.Star Cebu)