MANILA -- The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) has deployed a fact-finding team (FFT) to General Santos City to investigate an alleged harassment against two radio broadcasters.
PTFoMS Executive Director Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco made the decision in response to the complaint by Bombo Radyo area manager for Mindanao Ricky Collado.
Collado asked the PTFoMS to look into alleged entrapment operation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Region 12 against station manager Jonathan “Jan Jan” Macailing and anchorman Salvador “Boy” Galano of Bombo Radyo GenSan.
According to initial report, Macailing and Galano were arrested by the NBI agents while allegedly leaving a restaurant with a paper bag containing PHP5 million from Pastor Joel Apolinario of the Kappa Community Ministry International, Inc.
The two mediamen claimed that they went through a “brazen set-up” to stop Bombo Radyo GenSan from reporting an alleged pyramiding scam called KAPA, an acronym for Kabus Padatoon or "enrich the poor", headed by Apolinario.
On the other hand, Sarangani NBI district officer Regner Peneza said the paper bills that Apolinario handed to Macailing and Galano were marked money.
Peneza said the two have been extorting big amount of money from Apolinario and that the foiled attempt was their second since they started hitting the KAPA leader in their reports.
Apolinario reportedly claimed Macailing and Galano had promised to stop questioning the legitimacy of their money market scheme in exchange for PHP5 million.
The PTFoMS’s fact-finding team is composed of the task force legal consultant Jay De Castro, Presidential Communications Operations Office media security consultant Supt. (Ret) Rechie Duldulao and chief special agent Shariel Paulino.
“We will be fair, just and objective. We will weigh allegations and counter allegations based on available evidence-- circumstantial or otherwise. We will base our findings and recommendations on these, in the interest of transparency and justice,” Egco said in a statement. (PNA)
