KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Philippine News Agency / Nov. 3, 2008) — Members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in Cotabato City have asked Army Col. John Oswald Bucu (earlier identified as Aswald Buco) of the 6th Infantry Division to apologize over local radio stations for ‘mistreating’ a broadcast journalist at the height of the Friday dawn fire that razed the storage facility of the Army’s 12th Field Support Service Unit at Camp Siongco.
Bucu is the commanding officer of the 6th Infantry Division's Headquarters Service Battalion. Bucu, according to a statement issued by NUJP Cotabato City, berated dxMS reporter Loreto Rosario for getting too close to the fire scene and called him an intruder.
Rosario is a reporter of Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation and a member of the NUJP Cotabato City chapter.
“Surprisingly, though, Bucu allowed a crew of a local television outfit to position themselves at the scene and huddle with ranking officials of the 6th Infantry Division as the fire destroyed some P10 million worth of old ammunition stored inside the facility,” the statement said.
Bucu, according to NUJP, confiscated Rosario’s press identification card and his mobile phone and brought him to the office of 6th Infantry Division spokesman Col. Julieto Ando, where he continued to reprimand the radio reporter.
“I was reprimanded as if I was a terrorist who was caught doing something bad inside the camp,” Rosario told colleagues.
Ando has apologized for Bucu’s misbehavior over Catholic station dxMS here last Saturday, but the commander of the 6th Infantry Division, Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, and Bucu himself have both remained silent on the issue.
Bucu first hogged the airwaves when he branded as a “member” of the New People’s Army rebels the president of the NUJP chapter in Kidapawan City who is the program director of the Catholic station dxND in North Cotabato, during a gathering of reporters at the headquarters of the Army’s 602nd Brigade in Carmen, North Cotabato some two years ago. (PNA)
Showing posts with label Arrogant AFP Officer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arrogant AFP Officer. Show all posts
Monday, November 03, 2008
Reporter hits harassment by Army colonel
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Philippine Daily Inquirer / Nov. 3, 2008) - A radio reporter here has complained of harassment by an Army colonel who allegedly berated him for entering the 6th Infantry Division at the height of a fire that razed an ammunition dump Friday.
“He was yelling at me, his eyes as if on fire, and berated me when he found me inside the camp near the ammunition dump,” Loreto Rosario of Church-run Radio DXMS, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).
He identified the official as Lt. Col. Aswald Buco, 6th ID camp commander.
Buco could not be reached for comment but Col. Julieto Ando, 6th ID spokesperson, apologized for and in behalf of Buco.
“I would like to apologize to Mr. Rosario,” Ando said, adding that the situation at the time of the fire was “high and there was a state of confusion.”
Ando explained that Buco was the camp commander and he would like to make sure nobody who was not allowed at the camp could come closer to the ammunition dump where the fire started at 4:15 a.m.
“There’s no problem if I was told to distance myself from the fire scene,” according to Rosario. “What dismayed me was his yelling at me as if I am his subordinate, as if I am a criminal, as if I did not present my press card.”
“You are an intruder, it’s good that my men did not shoot you,” Rosario quoted Buco as telling him. “If they have shot me, that was their problem, I did not violate any rule,” he said.
Rosario maintained that he came to the camp as a reporter with proper identification cards to report what was going on when there was a 30-minute powerful and continuous explosion.
“I coordinated with Maj. Abaja, deputy spokesperson, and he allowed me entry,” Rosario said.
“Besides, the main gate was open when I arrived so I proceeded to the fire scene,” Rosario, who has been covering the 6th ID beat for the past five years, said.
Rosario also accused Buco of taking his two mobile phones and press card and handed them over to his men. But Rosario grabbed them and left. He proceeded to the office of Ando.
Buco, with his heavily armed bodyguards in tow, followed Rosario at Ando’s office.
There he berated Rosario anew in front of Ando and accused him of being an “intruder.”
Ferdinand Cabrera, secretary general of National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Cotabato chapter, condemned Buco’s actuation and called for an investigation.
“That was very unprofessional and uncalled for an Army officer,” Cabrera said.
It was the second case of media harassment inside the 6th ID.
Last week, about 10 policemen assigned with the police station of Mother Kabuntalan, Shariff Kabunsuan were berated and given a dressing down by an Army lieutenant of the 6th Infantry Battalion.
The Army lieutenant, known as Lt. Capuyan, has been relieved and is undergoing investigation, according to Ando. (Edwin O. Fernandez - Philippine Daily Inquirer)
“He was yelling at me, his eyes as if on fire, and berated me when he found me inside the camp near the ammunition dump,” Loreto Rosario of Church-run Radio DXMS, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).
He identified the official as Lt. Col. Aswald Buco, 6th ID camp commander.
Buco could not be reached for comment but Col. Julieto Ando, 6th ID spokesperson, apologized for and in behalf of Buco.
“I would like to apologize to Mr. Rosario,” Ando said, adding that the situation at the time of the fire was “high and there was a state of confusion.”
Ando explained that Buco was the camp commander and he would like to make sure nobody who was not allowed at the camp could come closer to the ammunition dump where the fire started at 4:15 a.m.
“There’s no problem if I was told to distance myself from the fire scene,” according to Rosario. “What dismayed me was his yelling at me as if I am his subordinate, as if I am a criminal, as if I did not present my press card.”
“You are an intruder, it’s good that my men did not shoot you,” Rosario quoted Buco as telling him. “If they have shot me, that was their problem, I did not violate any rule,” he said.
Rosario maintained that he came to the camp as a reporter with proper identification cards to report what was going on when there was a 30-minute powerful and continuous explosion.
“I coordinated with Maj. Abaja, deputy spokesperson, and he allowed me entry,” Rosario said.
“Besides, the main gate was open when I arrived so I proceeded to the fire scene,” Rosario, who has been covering the 6th ID beat for the past five years, said.
Rosario also accused Buco of taking his two mobile phones and press card and handed them over to his men. But Rosario grabbed them and left. He proceeded to the office of Ando.
Buco, with his heavily armed bodyguards in tow, followed Rosario at Ando’s office.
There he berated Rosario anew in front of Ando and accused him of being an “intruder.”
Ferdinand Cabrera, secretary general of National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Cotabato chapter, condemned Buco’s actuation and called for an investigation.
“That was very unprofessional and uncalled for an Army officer,” Cabrera said.
It was the second case of media harassment inside the 6th ID.
Last week, about 10 policemen assigned with the police station of Mother Kabuntalan, Shariff Kabunsuan were berated and given a dressing down by an Army lieutenant of the 6th Infantry Battalion.
The Army lieutenant, known as Lt. Capuyan, has been relieved and is undergoing investigation, according to Ando. (Edwin O. Fernandez - Philippine Daily Inquirer)
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