Tuesday, November 13, 2007 KBP, NUJP questioned for blind support By Ben O. Tesiorna
COMPOSTELA Valley Board Member Neri "Nonong" Barte is not taking the charges filed against him by radio broadcaster Roel Sembrano and several media groups sitting down and will be filing his counter charges this week.
In an interview Saturday afternoon, Barte questioned the support given by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas (KBP) and the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), saying that as reputable media organizations they should have first sought his side of the story and not blindly give their support to Sembrano who Barte accused of being "illegal."
Barte said they discovered from the KBP list of accredited broadcasters that Sembrano has not renewed his membership as of September 2007. Thus without renewing his KBP license, Barte said, Sembrano was working illegally in his radio program at the Lovely FM station in Compostela from April to present.
Aside from not being a member of KBP, Barte said what is worse is that Sembrano has been ridiculing him and his family through the radio program since April. The board member said not once had Sembrano sought their side on various issues the broadcaster had been throwing against Barte.
On October 24, Barte said they received a text message informing them that Sembrano is again criticizing him over the radio. For this, he said, his wife and daughter decided to finally confront the radio broadcaster.
Barte's wife, Daisy, and daughter, Denise, said they were inside the radio booth when they asked Sembrano why he had been criticizing and ridiculing their family. Bartes said Sembrano replied with arrogance, "Palag lang mo kung gusto mo (Complain if you want)."
Daisy said Sembrano's arrogance made her lose her temper and she and her daughter attacked Sembrano with their hands. They admitted smashing Sembrano with an ash tray and throwing cups at him due to their frustrations.
The mother and daughter however said that when they were attacking Sembrano, Nonong Barte never aided them and in fact even tried to pacify them. Barte also denied pointing a gun at the broadcaster as Sembrano is claiming in his affidavit filed before the Ombudsman Mindanao.
Barte admitted he has a licensed gun, but he never brings it out of his residence since there was a gun ban due to the elections. He added that after the attack, the chief of police and the town mayor readily went to the radio station and had not seen a single gun in his possession then.
"Kay kung me baril pa ako, eh di sana inaresto na ako ng mga pulis at ni Mayor," Barte said.
He said that Sembrano's bruises will show that his attacker were of no superior strength. Had it been him who attacked Sembrano, he said, the radioman could have landed in the hospital, him being a former Scout Ranger and a martial artist.
The Bartes thus appealed to the KBP and NUJP to really look into the matters leading to the October 24 incident. They said if these groups will know they real score, then they will understand why the women lost their temper.
The Bartes are set to file two libel charges against Sembrano this week. He said they are still contemplating whether to file counter charges as well against KBP and NUJP.
On the complaint filed against him, Barte said he is ready to face them.
"Sa totoo lang di ako takot sa kanila. Di ko sila aatrasan," Barte said.
