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Thursday, April 06, 2006
Valencia City Hall closes radio station
By Danilo V. Adorador and Inday Emeterio
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Tension gripped a radio station in Valencia City Wednesday morning when the main anchor resisted moves to close it down.
Anchorman Joas Dignos holed himself up inside the announcer's booth of radio dxVR and continued airing commentaries while outside, personnel from the city licensing office shut the station's main door by nailing to it a wooden placard bearing details of the closure order. The employees had to use the station's narrow exit.
A moment later, Mayor Jose Galario Jr. arrived brandishing a "long firearm." Dignos claimed he stayed inside the station's premises for fear of his life.
He was unable to determine the type of the firearm that Galario allegedly carried.
The Cagayan de Oro Press Club issued a press statement condemning the incident.
Club President Uriel Quilinguing said the manner in which the station's closure was done smacked not only of outright violation of human rights but of press freedom.
"It strengthens the cause of our group to stand up for press freedom against the closure of dxVR," Quilinguing said.
Kilusang Alsa Media members went to Valencia City to express their stance on the incident.
Wrong lines
Galario, meanwhile, denied he was carrying any firearm, saying he went to the radio station only to talk to Dignos but to no avail.
He, however, admitted ordering the local electric utility to cut off the radio station's power supply.
"I wanted to cut him off the air so that the matter will not go out of hand and chaos will be averted," he said, adding that Dignos asked the public to troop to the station because his life was "under threat."
Dignos said the electric company inadvertently cut off the wrong lines so he was able to continue with his commentary.
At around 11 a.m., an estimated 1,000 people gathered around the radio station. The two competed in claiming that the crowd was each other's supporters.
The mayor and the broadcaster are bitter enemies -- Dignos being critical of Galario's administration in his radio program.
Galario responded with dozens of libel suits against the broadcaster, most of which had been thrown out by the courts.
With the backing of the City Council, he ordered last year the cancellation of the station's business permit alleging that it violated certain business regulations.
Legal action
A temporary restraining order issued by the regional court prevented the station's closure.
The closure order earned Galario condemnations from local media groups, branding him the "little tyrant of Bukidnon."
Last January, the radio station asked the local court in Malaybalay City to compel the City Government to renew its permit this year.
Galario said the court junked the motion on March 28, which is why he implemented the closure order Wednesday.
But Dignos said the station was not furnished with the court decision.
"We received nothing and there was no court sheriff present during (Tuesday's) closure action. Had it not been for some concerned citizens who informed us of the closure, we would have been left hanging in mid-air," he said.
The station's next legal action would be known Thursday, said Dignos.
Dignos vowed he would continue airing commentaries, not in Valencia, but in another RMN station in Malaybalay.
Amid criticisms, Galario said the City Government would allow Dignos on air again if the Court of Appeals will order it.
"The media should not be onion-skinned and should understand that I am just following a court order," Galario said. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
(April 6, 2006 issue)
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