By JB R. Deveza, National Union of Journalists, Western Mindanao Safety Office

A FORMER station manager of a radio station that focused on reporting Indigenous People’s (IP) issues was reportedly harassed by soldiers belonging to the 1st Special Forces Battalion based in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Kristin Lim said a group of Special Forces soldiers went to her house at about 8:30 p.m. of Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019, to “invite” her to go with them for questioning but she refused as the soldiers did not present a clear and valid reason for her to do so.

Lim said the soldiers left but came back at about 8 a.m. of Sunday, Aug. 4. She said the soldiers only left past noon after barangay officials intervened and proposed the holding of a dialogue between Lim and the soldiers at the village hall.

Lim used to be the station manager of Radyo Lumad, a project ran by the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Region (RMP-NMR). The radio station was under the Healing the Hurt Project co-funded by the European Union and the World Association for Christian Communication mainly to communicate IP rights and issues.