Dangerous times for journalists in Digos

DIGOS CITY, Philippines—Another journalist has been receiving threats here.

Ruby Mae Kinoc Simene, news director and anchor of dxJC Boss Radio, said that she received a threatening letter and a bullet delivered via LBC on Friday.

The sender, a Lemuel Torres, turned out to be nonexistent after a check with Bansalan authorities.

Simene is the latest media practitioner to receive threats here since the start of the year.

Supt. Querubin Manalang, city police chief, said police had reviewed the CCTV footage of the LBC branch in Bansalan but it yielded no clues because there was a power outage when the threatening letter was sent.

Simene previously worked with Charm Radio, where she did scathing commentaries against some politicians.

Simene’s case is the latest threat hovering over journalists here.

On Sept. 8, unidentified armed men forcibly entered the facility of Muews Radio in Barangay Soong, took remote broadcast equipment and injured the lone guard. No suspect has been identified in the case.

Some journalists here said they doubt if police are taking the threats seriously.

At a meeting outside the city police office on Monday, some journalists cited the case of a colleague who had been accused of “imagining threats to his life” and who did not deserve protection.

“Why would they say the threats are not real? Will they wait until someone gets killed again?” said a correspondent of a Davao City-based radio station, citing the case of at least two journalists slain here since 2006.

In July 2006, 55-year-old Radio Ukay broadcaster Racman Pace was gunned down after work.

In 2010, local weekly tabloid editorial consultant Nestor Bedolido, 50, was also killed.

They said the journalist, who requested anonymity and is being discredited by authorities, was even sent to jail in July after firing a licensed gun to deter armed intruders in the compound where he lives on July 9 and 10.

The journalist faced charges of serious illegal detention when a government prosecutor trashed efforts by the complainant to withdraw the complaint.

Marcos Risonar Jr., lawyer of the journalist, said he would be forced to sign the affidavit of desistance if government prosecutor Suzette Gallemaso Dalumpines insisted on rejecting it. Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao