CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 16, 2014) – Philippine authorities have provided security to 2 journalists who were receiving death threats from an unknown group in Valencia City in Mindanao.
According to the Asia Human Rights Commission, the 39-year old Arthur ‘Jun’ Sapanghari, of radio station of dxDB, and Randie Makipotin received threatening text messages from their cell phones.
The AHRC have written the police about the threats and has received a reply from the authorities.
In a letter dated March 27, 2014 received recently by Liliana Corrieri, program assistant of the AHRC’s Urgent Appeals programme, Police Chief Supt. Augusto Marquez, Jr., officer-in-charge of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management of the Philippine National Police, said they have provided security to both Sapanghari and Makipotin.
““This pertains to your letter dated February 4, 2014…regarding the ongoing threats against Arthur Sapanghari and Randie Makipotin, broadcasters and journalists in Valencia City, Bukidnon. Please be informed that we have already detailed police personnel to provide protective security to Mr. Sapanghari and his family in order to ensure their safety against possible threats while Mr. Sapanghari actively participates in the peace and order campaigns in Valencia City.”
“Moreover, a discreet investigation is ongoing to identify the personalities involved in the alleged threats against the lives of Mr. Sapanghari and Mr. Randie Makipotin,” Marquez said in the letter.
The AHRC said it welcomed the action taken by the police in providing security personnel to ensure the safety of the journalists.
“In line with this, we also expect that the discreet investigation that the PNP has announced that it is undertaking to identify the persons involved in making such threats will produce results and that the PNP will take appropriate action on those results,” AHRC said.
It said Sapanghari was threatened for exposing stories of corruption, illegal logging and human trafficking in his community; while his friend is being threatened for helping him. The police provided security; however, it was discontinued without the identification of the perpetrators. The victims now fears for their safety, their families and the effect that the threats will have on their work.
AHRC said based on the documentation by Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Sapanghari has started receiving threats in December last year and one of the messages sent to him was, “dili ka motobag ug tawagan, inihap na ang imong mga adlaw” (You did not answer my call, your days are numbered).
And another message, “naminaw ko sa imong programa. Hambogero! Di naka ma abtan ug pasko isunod na ka kay Dignos” (I was listening to your program. Conceited! You will be gone before Christmas. You will suffer the same fate as Dignos).
Joas Dignos was another hard-hitting commentator in Maramag town in Bukidnon, who was killed two motorcycle gunmen in Valencia City on November 29, 2013.
On December 18 at 8 p.m, while at home, Sapanghari said he saw 3 men get down from a motorcycle and one of them who was wearing a cap walked towards the kitchen door. Sapanghari saw the man getting something from his sling bag. Alarmed that it might be a gun, Sapanghari pushed his daughter to a corner of the house and closed the kitchen door. He then dashed towards their front door to close it, and then he turned off the lights. As he gathered his family in their room, he heard approaching footsteps from outside their house. He called the police for help, but when they arrived, the three men had gone.
On January 17, 2014, at 8 a.m., a man aboard a motorcycle went to his house and asked after his whereabouts from his wife. When his wife answered, “wala diri” (he is not here), the man went away. His wife called immediately him and asked if he had an appointment with anyone that day. At that time, Sapanghari was at the Maramag police station to get a report regarding a killing incident in Musuan.
When he said none, his wife told him about the man who was looking for him. His wife described that the man was wearing a cap and a shawl that almost covered his entire face. The motorcycle was color blue and had no plate number. From the description given by his wife, Sapanghari remembered one of the suspects in the killing of a number of people in Valencia City and Maramag.
After Sapanghari was done with his field work, he boarded a bus to Musuan to get his motorcycle. As he was about to get down from the bus, he saw six persons on board three motorcycles near the spot where his motorcycle was parked. Concerned, he went directly to Valencia City and called a friend to get his motorcycle.
When his friend reached Sapanghari’s motorcycle, his friend noticed a gray pickup truck without a plate number and two other motorcycles in the area. When his friend started Sapanghari’s motorcycle and went on, the pickup truck followed him. It only stopped when he was about to enter Valencia City proper.
According to Sapanghari, he believes that his life and his family, is in danger. He wrote a letter to the Police Provincial Director in Bukidnon and requested for police backup. The director responded to his request and ordered the Valencia City Police Chief to send Sapanghari two police officers who stayed with him for one week. However, after a week, the police backup was discontinued.
Sapanghari fears for the safety of his family. They are always scared, especially when they think of what happened on December 18, 2013. But he said that his work obliges him to expose the truth and fight for what is right.
Makipotin also received text messages last January 21 that read, “imo diay gitabangan si Jun Bandilyo? Apil taka patyon puslan man nag ka leche-leche akong kinabuhi.” (So, you helped Jun Bandilyo? I will kill you. Because of you, my life has become messed up). He replied to the text message by saying, “alang ako man siyang kauban” (of course, he is my companion).
The threat started when Makipotin offered his multi-cab as the vehicle for Sapanghari to use instead of the latter’s motorcycle. (AHRC, TFDP, Mindanao Examiner)
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