Leyte cops allegedly harass 3 reporters; police chief calls claims ‘disinformation’

Three journalists were allegedly harassed and threatened with gunfire by the police while conducting an interview in Pastrana, Leyte on Friday.

In a statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said the reporters from San Juanico TV were interviewing farmers in Barangay Jones at around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, July 14.

A police officer, identified as Police Staff Sergeant Rhea Mae Baleos, stopped them and told them to go away.

"Reporters Lito Bagunas, Noel Sianosa, and Ted Tomas were covering a land dispute in the said barangay," NUJP said.

Baleos reportedly grabbed Sianosa's cellphone while the latter was taking videos and pushed him away.

"A few minutes later, the three journalists heard gunshots. Tomas said he saw policemen in uniform firing the shots," said the NUJP.

"According to initial information, the farmers are beneficiaries of (the) land reform program," the union added.

GMA News Online had sought comment from both the Leyte Provincial Police and the Pastrana Municipal Police Offices, but they had yet to respond as of posting time.

However, the Pastrana MPS posted a statement on the Leyte Police Provincial Office Facebook account.

In his statement, Pastrana MPS Acting Chief Police Major Darwin Dalde said there was "no truth that PNP personnel from this station fired their firearms and that the said shooting incident was just disinformation."

According to Dalde, the police station was informed through a phone call that there were alleged armed men at the barangay.

Police officers proceeded to the area to verify the report and upon their arrival, they witnessed a commotion between Baleos and Sianosa.

When the responding police officers attempted to intervene, they heard two successive gun bursts.

"[S]aid personnel spread out in tactical position and heard another two (2) successive gun bursts," said Dalde.

"The assailant was armed with a long firearm approximately 300 meters away from the police officers. The assailant managed to flee, was chased by the responding police officer, but unfortunately, eluded the arrest."

Dalde added that after an initial investigation, it was determined that the said commotion was rooted in a land dispute.

"Rest assured that we are exerting our doubled efforts in the identification and subsequently, the apprehension of the assailant as an investigation and manhunt operation is now going on," concluded Dalde.

‘Uncalled for, unnecessary’

Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) asked the PNP Eastern Visayas "to immediately investigate, and if warranted, imposed disciplinary action, on several members of the Pastrana Police Office in Leyte province."

“The actions made by elements of the Pastrana Municipal Police Office in confronting members of the press who are merely doing their job of conducting an interview is totally uncalled for, unnecessary and amounted to abuse of authority and power,” said PTFoMS Executive Director Paul M. Gutierrez.

One of the reporters, Tomas, said they were ordered by their “management” to proceed to the area to interview a couple who were beneficiaries of the government’s land reform program.

"It turned out, however, that the land had been pawned by someone else to Baleos and her husband, who, according to Tomas, is also a member of the PNP. Tomas said the husband, whom he failed to identify, even pointed his M-16 at them," PTFoMS said.

Gutierrez said the PTFoMS had already contacted the reporters and obtained their statements on the incident. — DVM, GMA Integrated News