Radio station goes off air to protest assault, complains irate Governor broke all their mikes

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—A government-run radio station in Kalinga went off air on Wednesday to protest the assault by Gov. Jocel Baac on one of its anchors on Tuesday.

Jerome Tabanganay, anchor of dzRK Radyo ng Bayan in Tabuk City, said the station went off air on Wednesday as “a silent condemnation” of the latest attempt by provincial officials to stifle press freedom, and deprive the Kalinga people of their right to information.

The shutdown came a day after the governor assaulted Tabanganay while he was hosting his noontime program, “Agenda Part 2.”

“Besides, we no longer have any microphone to use because [Baac] broke all of them,” Tabanganay said.

He said Baac, accompanied by five security aides, arrived at the station in Barangay Bulanao Norte and barged into the announcer’s booth past noon on Tuesday.

“He entered the booth and shouted, ‘What you are doing is too much!’ then grabbed the microphone and slammed it on top of the table. Then he took a second microphone and hit me,” Tabanganay said.

He said he suffered cuts in the lips and a bruise in the left cheek.

As the governor was leaving the station, Tabanganay said the official threatened him and said, “Continue talking and I will kill you.”

Baac confirmed that he confronted Tabanganay, but denied threatening him.

“I just tried to grab the microphone and take it off from its stand. The microphone might have hit him in the process,” Baac said by phone on Tuesday.

“I only wanted him to stop talking because while I was there, he was like calling on other members of his tribe to come to his rescue,” Baac said by phone on Tuesday.

In a statement, Baac urged media groups to investigate the case. “Media will be given a free hand to conduct its own investigation,” he said.

Baac’s assault on Tabanganay was caught on video by a computer camera that was streaming the radio broadcast online. The footage showed the commotion until Baac was pacified by policemen.

Tabanganay said Baac may have been irked by his commentaries and listeners’ text messages about an incident on Monday at the provincial capitol. Basilio Baluyan, dzRK station’s manager, was reportedly chastised in public by the governor that day over criticisms aired by the radio station.

But Baac said he and other officials only asked Baluyan to correct “inaccurate reports” about an alleged attempt to burn the radio station.

In May last year, Tabanganay, 47, survived when a lone gunman shot him as he was entering the radio station for his morning show. No suspect has been identified.

Tabuk City Mayor Ferdinand Tubban said Kalinga values its community radio because “it is our people’s bridge to information.” With a report from Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon