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Thursday, May 31, 2007
Journalist accuses police officer of grave threat
PANGASINAN -- A journalist has filed a complaint against the Bugallon town chief of police for allegedly threatening him with death for still unknown reasons.
In a complaint addressed to the police's Internal Affairs Service in Camp Crame, Rani Jim Manaois, a radio commentator based in Pangasinan province, said he had been under surveillance since Senior Inspector Froilan Lopez, Bugallon police chief, made the threats.
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"Bilang na ang araw nyo mga bayarang media, kaya naming bayaran ang buhay nyo. (Days of corrupt media practitioners like you are numbered. We can buy your lives)," Manaois quoted the text message that Lopez allegedly sent at 2:06 a.m. on May 14.
Manaois said he called the mobile phone number and the person on the other end was Lopez.
He added that he initially reported the matter to retired police colonel Pat Ordona, who he said knows Lopez. "Ordona said he will ask Lopez to call. True indeed, the same person using the same number called me on the morning of May 16," he said.
Manaois is a commentator of local radio station dzRD Dagupan, correspondent of dzAR Sunshine Radio, and publisher/editor of Pinoy Magazine. He is the executive vice president of Philippine National Police (PNP) Press Corps in Pangasinan.
"I consider this (threat) a blatant harassment, if not serious forewarning of any attempt to harm or kill me for reason I am not aware of. I am simply performing my job as a journalist. It is my duty and responsibility to express my opinion regarding relevant issues of the day," Manaois said in the complaint.
The journalist said he was not aware of an instance when he criticized Lopez.
"It's very difficult to conceive that despite my manifested support to the PNP, I will be seriously threatened by no less than a PNP officer for unknown reasons," he said.
"I could not remember any instance wherein I lambasted or criticized the said officer (Lopez). I have been informed however that I might have expressed commentaries against a candidate being favored by the same officer who appeared to be obviously immersing himself into partisan politics in the town of Bugallon," said Manaois.
A day after the threatening text message was sent to him, Manaois said he noticed a Toyota Revo vehicle parked in front of his residence in Bonuan Gueset "as if conducting a surveillance against me."
"Witnesses said the vehicle was there for several minutes with some people on board who did not leave the car. When I arrived, the said vehicle speedily left as if they were just establishing my exact address and residence," he said.
"I presume this (surveillance) is interrelated with the threat that I have received. May I urgently call for your (IAS) assistance, if not attention, as regards this serious threat to my personal safety and that of my family," Manaois said in his complaint addressed to IAS Director General Alex Canonizado.
Manaois has sent a copy of his complaint to Director Geary Barias, chief of PNP Task Force Usig, which is investigating killings of leftist militants and journalists, and Police Regional Office (PRO) 1 Director Leopoldo Bataoil. (VR/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (May 31, 2007 issue)
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