Philippine Media Watchdog Condemns Verbal Abuse On Reporter

National Union of Journalists of the Philippines - ZamBaSulTa Chapter.

Santos Cortez 29 year old field reporter of RMN Zamboanga was verbally harassed at the office of Traffic Management Group.

Cortez told the NUJP he was covering the TMG office located at Camp Batalla, RT Lim Boulevard around 4pm on November 24, 2008.

"I was not bringing any particular issue for interview, since I was informed there's a new chief of the TMG Western Mindanao, I feel its proper to determine from the said office their latest concerns and campaigns," Cortez said.

When he was in the said office, the secretary advised him to wait for approval from the new chief.

Cortez waited for more than 30 minutes and when he noted the secretary is leaving the office, "I asked her if it's okay to interview now the chief."

Cortez was informed by the secretary that their chief is not ready to face the media "because he was not feeling well."

Since the deputy chief Supt. Daniel Mayoni is around, "so I decided to interview him and at first he hesitated but later gave me some details like number of car-napped vehicles and he was conscious that I was using my MP3 for recording."

As Mayoni is giving more details, "I lightly pushed the MP3 nearer to him so I could catch his voice clearly and that's where he got mad."

Mayoni suddenly raised his voice in the presence of three other persons inside the room saying, "patayin mo yan, patayin mo yan, gago ka pala dinadaya mo ako."

Cortez shocked with Mayoni's reaction took back the MP3 but Mayoni was snatched the gadget and slammed it on the table.

"I was really embarrassed and afraid of his actuations, it was my first time to encounter such behavior from a police colonel," Cortez said where he tried to cool down the atmosphere by talking it out with Mayoni what's wrong in recording the interview.

The NUJP Zambasulta Chapter tried to reach Mayoni to get his side but he didn't return the message.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Zambasulta Chapter is condemning Mayoni's act as verbal abuse to local journalist who was then performing his job covering a government entity like TMG.

Mayoni is aware he was being interviewed and he has no right to snatch and slam the recording device of a Cortez.

He could have requested the reporter for the not for record interview but to slam and hurled words like "gago" is way beyond of his oath as an officer and a law enforcer.
The NUJP is demanding for a public apology from the said officer.