Fear gags Masbate journalists

LEGAZPI CITY – Threatened by private armed groups (PAGs) operating in the second and third districts of the province of Masbate, journalists based in the area cannot completely report election-related stories coming out of the province.

Masbate-based broadcast journalists who participated in the National Union of Journalists (NUJP) training and forum on election reporting said “that constant fear of retaliation from private armed groups employed by politicians” is the main reason that prevents local reporters from posting reports on continued violence and political controversies in Masbate.

The journalists agree to be quoted only anonymously.

Even local police officers are hesitant to reveal to the media the names of suspects in election-related killings even if the suspects are already identified in police reports, a reporter said in the said forum.

However, he said that in Masbate City unlike in adjacent towns, city based radio station DYME, owned by the Espinosa brothers, has become a reliable source of information.

Formerly the political kingpins of Masbate, the Espinosas have shunned politics and have focused on business enterprises.

The reporters also said that a private armed group, the “Villaruel group,” is feared in Balud, Masbate and in the second district of the province.  The “Arrizobal group” based in Dimasalang, Masbate is feared even by politicians, he added.

The intense rivalry for the gubernatorial post of Masbate among four contenders is causing much of the tension. Vying for the position are incumbent Governor Rizalina Seachon Lanete of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC); Antonio T. Kho of LAKAS-CMD; Fr. Leo Casas, a Catholic priest, of the Liberal Party (LP) and Romeo Albero of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan Party (KBL). (SONNY SALES)