By Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City- An incident of alleged harassment and threat by the police against three journalists occurred at Barangay Jones (sitio Cancamartes) in Pastrana, Leyte on Friday (July 14).
The incident, which was caught on video that went viral online, showed a policewoman confronting and then attacking a reporter at a riceland followed by sounds of gunshots fired from somewhere nearby.
The policewoman was later identified as P/Staff Sergeant Rhea Mae Baleos of the Pastrana Municipal Police Station and the reporter as Noel Tampil Sianosa Jr of San Juanico TV, who was with two other co-reporters Lito Bagunas and Ted Allen Tomas.
Initially, the TV reporters were listening to the heated confrontation between Baleos and a woman, who was an agrarian reform beneficiary, regarding a disputed land in the area. But when the reporters tried to conduct a separate interview with the agrarian beneficiary, Baleos got angry and tried to stop them.
Initial investigation said that Baleos confronted and attacked Sianosa to stop the latter from interviewing the agrarian reform beneficiary regarding the disputed land in the area. It was learned later that the land in dispute was used as a collateral for a cash loan made by someone else from Baleos whose husband was also a Pastrana policeman, P/Staff Sgt. Ver Baleos.
Baleos wanted the TV reporters to stop the interview by physically assaulting the latter, reportedly after calling her co-policemen to go to the area as backup or response team. The gunshots that broke out were apparently to scare off the reporters from pursuing further their interview with the farmer who was in conflict with the Baleos couple.
Tomas added that Baleos’ husband, who is also a policeman, pointed his M16 rifle at them while his wife assaulted them.
Further investigation over the incident is underway, more so after the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) called on the Police Regional Office-Region 8 (PRO-8) to immediately conduct a probe on the incident of harassment
The PTFoMs, in a statement, said that, if warranted, the PRO-8 must impose disciplinary action on several members of the Pastrana Police who were involved in harassing and intimidating the three reporters to force them stop the interview they conducted with the farmer.
“The actions made by elements of the Pastrana Municipal Police Office in confronting members of the press who are merely doing their job of conducting an interview is totally uncalled for, unnecessary and amounted to abuse of authority and power,” said PTFoMS Executive Director Paul Gutierrez.
Gutierrez said PRO-8 must investigate the Baleos couple and the policemen whom she called for help when she confronted and assaulted the journalists.
The day after, in a separate video report, reporter Tomas said they were directed by the San Juanico TV management to go to Pastrana and interview the farmer beneficiaries to get their side of the disputed land.
Gutierrez said the three journalists already issued statements to PTFoMS on what actually happened that day. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines had also informed the public on the incident.
“Rest assured that the PTFoMS shall continue to monitor this incident. May I also remind our law enforcers that the Marcos administration and the PNP leadership would not tolerate any abuse committed against any of our citizen, particularly the members of the press,” Gutierrez said.
Police Regional Office-8 Regional Director P/Brig. Gen. Vincent Calanoga confirmed Saturday afternoon that, upon his orders, the Baleos couple were temporarily relieved from their posts in the Pastrana Municipal Police Station, to give way to an impartial investigation of the incident.
While the investigation is underway, Calanoga said the relieved police officers were also ordered to turn over their service firearms, as well as those of the policemen who “responded” to the incident at Barangay Jones. Their firearms will be subjected to ballistic examinations to determine who among them fired their guns at the time, he said.
Calanoga was apparently disappointed over the incident, as he assured the public that he will never condone any wrongdoings of the police officers, if any. “We likewise urge witnesses to come forward and shed light on the incident for a swift and fair result of the investigation,” he said.
The PRO-8 highest official further assured the public that a fair and speedy investigation shall be conducted into the Pastrana incident.
“We are dedicated to resolving this matter promptly. We will not tolerate any form of misconduct within our ranks,” said Calanoga who also emphasized the importance of maintaining integrity and professionalism within the police force.
Moreover, Calanoga said the PRO-8 has high respect for the valuable role of the media in the dissemination of correct information, as part of democracy and nation building. He said he recognizes the need for a strong alliance between journalists and the police officers.
The Association of Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders, for its part, issued a public statement denouncing the threat and harassment of the Baleos couple and the Pastrana Police against its member-journalists. “It’s also an assault on press freedom and, indirectly, denying the public of their right to know. —Miriam G. Desacada