Friday, November 07, 2008 Radioman gets threats over LTO controversy By Malu Cadelina Manar
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- A radio journalist received death threats through text messages after he reported the alleged extortion activities of some deputized agents of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in a town in North Cotabato.
The unknown sender of the messages warned Gil Bautista, reporter of radio station dxND of the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation, that if the revamp of the LTO in Kabacan district pushes through, he would surely be killed or "exterminated".
A text message from the sender with mobile phone number 09236403639 said, "Isang bala ka lang, Mr. Gil Bautista. Dupang ka! (You're only worth one bullet, Mr. Gil Bautista. You fool!)."
The threats stemmed from Bautista's coverage of the sessions of the provincial board in North Cotabato where issues about the alleged extortion activities of some deputized LTO agents manning the Kabacan-Pagalungan-Datu Montawal-Pikit highway were discussed.
Cotabato Vice Gov. Manuel Pinol, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, proposed on Monday the total revamp of the LTO Kabacan district and the hiring of lady deputized agents along the highway.
Such proposals could have caught the ire of the agents allegedly involved in extortion activities.
After Bautista reported the proceedings of the SP in the morning news and the current affairs program of radio station DXND in Kidapawan City, the station's hotline started receiving the messages.
The first message reads: "Mr. Gil Bautista, kung hindi mo inumpisahan ang issue hindi kami malalagay sa alanganin dito sa LTO Kabacan. Tandaan mo lang, kung maaalis kami dito, kasama kang maaalis sa mundo. Gago! (Mr. Gil Bautista, if you did not start discussing on air the issue about LTO we will not be placed in this predicament. If we would be transferred, you surely would be exterminated, too. You fool!)."
Bautista and members of the news and current affairs of radio station DXND of the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation, all members of the NUJP Kidapawan chapter, have been crusading for good governance and transparency in the government.
The team also exposed abuses and other corrupt practices of some government officials.
"The handling of these issues, however, was done with outmost care and followed strictly the ethics in responsible journalism. This is because we are aware that when journalists report corruption, illegal activities, and human rights and environmental abuses, they are either harassed or killed or silenced, thus the need to be extra cautious in reporting the issues," said the NUJP Kidapawan chapter in a statement.
The NUJP Kidapawan chapter says threats like this hamper the journalists in continuing the campaign.
"We believe that no journalist, even if he is deemed irresponsible in his report, deserves to be killed. Threats like this are done to 'silence' the broadcaster, thus threaten press freedom," it added. (MCM)
