Thursday, October 05, 2006 2 block-timers set bribery rap, lifestyle check request By Katrina N. Tabanao Sun.Star Correspondent
RADIO block-timers Reynaldo “Rey” Cortez and Lito “Bingbong” Solon are getting back at Philippine Reclamation Authority Director Elberto “Bert” Emphasis, who had them arrested in an entrapment for alleged extortion.
In a press conference yesterday, Cortez and Solon announced that they will be filing bribery charges against Emphasis, who also hosts a radio program.
Damages
They are also planning to ask for damages from the government official as compensation for their ruined reputation, after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested them last Friday and detained them for two days.
Aside from these criminal and civil cases, Solon and Cortez will ask Visayas Ombudsman Director Virginia Palanca-Santiago to put Emphasis under a lifestyle check.
They said the government official drives a BMW car and owns several luxury vehicles.
Emphasis, who was interviewed over radio dyLA, said he is ready to face any charges Solon and Cortez will file against him.
He declined to issue further comments, though, as he is yet to talk with his lawyers.
The two block-timers were arrested last Friday. Emphasis went to the NBI after Cortez and Solon allegedly demanded P20,000 so they will stop attacking him on air.
The two plan to ask another broadcaster and Sun.Star Cebu reporter Elias Baquero to serve as their witness.
Cortez said Baquero, who set up the meeting between them and Emphasis, is the only person who can testify that they never asked or extorted money from Emphasis.
The block-timers were happy that the robbery-extortion charge against them was downgraded to grave threats.
Cortez and Solon tagged the entrapment as a drama and a frame-up.
The two believe that what happened to them is part of a supposed P2-million demolition job planned against Cebu Customs District Collector Ricardo Belmonte.
Cortez divulged that from what they heard, former Cebu customs collector Lourdes Mangaong is the one funding the demolition job against Belmonte.
The block-timers also believe that the cases filed by Mangaong against Manila columnist Ramon Tulfo are part of the demolition job.
However, Cortez said they are not connected in any way to Belmonte.
He said that like Tulfo, they often attacked Mangaong through their commentaries.
Solon and Cortez are also asking the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters ng Pilipinas to also investigate Emphasis for being a “double agent.”
Aside from being the director of the Philippine Reclamation Authority, Emphasis is also the anchorman of the Kapihan ni Ate Glo aired over dyLA.
“He is a government official but he is anchoring a radio program with sponsors from the business sector. This is questionable because it is possible that he is using his influence to get advertisers,” they said.
