A LOCAL radio station based in Tagum City was torched by unidentified men on Wednesday, December 11.

According to a report from the National Union of Journalist of the Philippines (NUJP), two unidentified men burned the transmitter building of 99.9 RP-FM in Mawab, Davao de Oro.

99.9 RP-FM owner Pat Lucero told NUJP he received a report from his staff that arsonists arrived in a motorcycle at the transmitter site around 6 p.m. while the on-duty staff was in the kitchen.

Lucero said the suspects entered the transmitter room and burned equipment worth P1 million including the radio transmitter, automatic voltage regulator (AVR), and electric wiring.

NUJP said authorities are still investigating the incident.

However, Lucero said it could be connected to an attempted shooting incident which almost took his life last October 11.

NUJP said the station owner is safe when the incident happened.

Lucero is a former provincial information officer of Davao del Norte.

He used to host a daily program and was a station manager of 99.9 RP-FM.

Meanwhile, station anchor Mario Panyero posted on his personal account the photos of the damaged equipment of the transmitter.

“Grabi ilang gihimo sa amoang transmitter giguba ang padlock gisulod og gidabdaban. Ingun ani na gyud sila ka desperado. Dili na man ni patas ang laban ani. Pahilumon na gyud mi. Kinsa man nagpaluyo ani mahibal an gihapon pag abot sa panahon. Walay baho nga dili mualisngaw!!!hustisya!!! [sic] (It is unacceptable of what they had done to our transmitter. They destroyed the padlock, went inside and set it on fire. Are they this desperate? It’s unfair. They are really silencing us. Whoever is responsible behind this won’t be left unknown for long. We demand justice!),” Panyero said.