CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) has urged the management of television network ABS-CBN based here to report to authorities the incident where three funeral wreaths were sent to the media company’s regional office.
In an interview Sunday, Maj. Evan Viñas, Cocpo spokesperson, said they are willing to conduct an investigation as soon as ABS-CBN reports the incident to the police.
“This is a form of threat and we can investigate it,” Viñas said, adding that a representative from ABS-CBN should lodge a report at the nearest police station so action could be taken.
The wreaths were sent on Saturday (July 25) to the television network’s office in Barangay Bulua here following a noise-barrage participated by the media company’s employees, groups and individuals supportive of ABS-CBN, whose franchise renewal was denied by the House of Representatives’ congressional franchise committee on July 10.
Written on the ribbons of the wreaths were the words “Ibalik ang ABS-CBN! Isulong ang digmaang bayan!” (Bring back ABS-CBN! Support the people’s war!).
Also written on the other ribbons were various organizations, namely, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), National Union of People’s Lawyers-Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines, Bayan, Anakbayan, Kadamay, and the League of Filipino Students which were alleged as supporters of the Communist armed group New People’s Army.
“Security guards at the station said the delivery service personnel told them that the people who paid for the wreaths did not identify themselves. No person or group has come forward to claim responsibility for the wreaths,” said JB Deveza, NUJP media safety officer for Western Mindanao, in a statement.
“The wreath delivery appeared to be part of a coordinated red-tagging operation, with a fake Facebook account named Kim Chuy, which has regularly red-tagged people and organizations, posting a spoof of the poster announcing the noise barrage,” Deveza said.
The fake poster also linked the protest to the rebels and red-tagged the same groups named in the wreaths, he added. (PNA)
