By Vincent P. Grecia
The four radio anchors of DYRI RMN Iloilo are not alone in their fight versus Department of Education (DepEd) 6 regional director Ramir Uytico, after all.
Aside from a throng of their listeners and supporters, several city officials, led by no less than Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, sided with the RMN anchormen Novie Guazo, Regan Arlos, Israel Vincent “Don” Dolido, and Henry Lumawag in their commentaries against Uytico which prompted the latter to file libel cases against the broadcasters.
In a press statement, Treñas noted that he stands strongly behind the RMN commentators in their fight against the DepEd regional director.
“In my four decades of public service, my actions and decisions have been criticized by members of the media and made subject of commentaries in several programs. I have never filed any criminal case of libel against any member of legitimate media since I understand that is their job. The members of the RMN team have criticized me in many of my actions. That is their job. I always take it in stride,” Treñas said.
City Councilor Ely Estante, a seasoned radio broadcaster before becoming a politician, also rallied behind his former colleagues.
He dared his fellow public servants like Uytico to resign if they do not want to be criticized by the media.
“As government officials we should be always ready for any action nga ginahimo naton kag kon wala ka sang sala ti indi ka man matalupangdan pero kon may mga sala ka kag lain ang gina-obra mo, so, talupangdon ka kay kumo isa ka ka public official,” Estante said.
“Ginatadlong ka kag ginapaintindi ka sang imo obligasyon… ina nga bagay dapat i-absorb mo ina kay siling ko, if you don’t want criticisms from the media, you should better resign… amo na sadto ginahambal ko nga kon indi ka gusto sang kritisismo, puli ka to kag magtanom kamote kay wala gid may magsaway sa imo,” he added.
Iloilo City Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, on the other hand, said that it is the duty of journalists to call out government officials who are negligent in their functions and responsibilities or engage in wrongdoings.
“The media is the conscience of our society essential for our democracy to thrive. Press Freedom is the one and only hope of ordinary people to have an equal stake in public discourse to defend them from abuse of people in power,” he added.
DYRI RMN Iloilo station manager Ronel Sorbito labeled the libel suit against his anchormen as a “direct attack on the freedom of the press.”
In a statement, Sorbito said Uytico should not be onion-skinned when faced with media criticism.
“It is his responsibility to face the issues and questions at hand, as it is the right of the public to know his explanation,” said Sorbito.
“The media plays a crucial role in informing the public and holding those in power accountable. By taking legal action against journalists for doing their job, Dr. Uytico is not only silencing the voices of the media but also hindering the public’s right to access information,” Sorbito stressed.
RMN Iloilo’s anchormen criticized Uytico for his failure to answer the issues involving the suicide of a senior high school student in Mandurriao, Iloilo City; the issuance of a memorandum requiring schools to place tarpaulins bearing his image; his slow response to the conflict between the students and teachers and the school principal in Laua-an, Antique, among others.
In filing the libel cases, Uytico claimed that the RMN Iloilo anchormen tarnished his reputation through their unethical and baseless commentaries.
Last week, the Iloilo City Prosecutor’s Office conducted separate preliminary investigations on the libel cases against Guazo, Arlos, Dolido and Lumawag.
Sorbito and the other anchors, reporters and personnel showed up at the preliminary investigation as a show of support to their embattled colleagues.
