MATI CITY — Owners of four community radio stations here cried foul as they went off air after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the city government issued shut down notice for their failure to secure government requirements to continue their business.
Nelson Cañete, the regional director of National Telecommunications Commission told Newsline, the national office issued a cease and desist order (CDO) to Sunrise Radio for its failure to secure the provisional authority (PA) to operate while Radio Birada, T radio and one more community radio have yet to ssecure their authority from the NTC.
“Pending the release of their PA, they cannot operate,” Cañete told Newsline.
The station owners, however, accused the City Government of Mati of suppressing their Press Freedom and political harassment as Mayor Michelle Rabat issued closure order citing their failure to secure authority from the NTC.
“I just followed the law, they do not have permit while other businesses operating here have business permits, there is no press freedom issue here it is how the government operates,” Rabat told Newsline.
Cañete, a juris doctor and a veteran broadcaster explained to Newsline “It is not press freedom, it is government requirement and even the Department of Labor and Employmentand any other government agency can have their stations closed if hey violate the law.”
For Manny Pajarito, a community radio station owner, the closure is not press freedom “No press freedom here, they should follow the law, in my operations I follow government requirements and I have no issue with the government, we broadcast freely.”
The Article III Section 4 sa 1987 Philippine Constitution, ensures that that no law shall be passed abridging press freedom.
While the United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.”
In Mindanao, majority of the community radio stations are owned by politicians while others are independently operating.-Editha Z. Caduaya
