GENERAL SANTOS CITY-- Local media groups here have decried the harassment allegedly committed by a barangay chairman against two radio reporters while conducting media coverage on a reported vote-buying incident in Glan, Sarangani Province last Thursday (May 5).
Jazztein Jubelag, president of Police Regional Office-12 Press Corps, has asked the Sarangani Provincial Police Office to investigate the incident involving Big Margus village chair Joemar Jandoc who reportedly harassed Ray Sabillo and Alfie Mones, reporters of Radio Mindanao Network-Gensan, while covering the alleged vote-buying incident involving Jandoc inside his residence in Barangay Big Margus Glan.
The reporters claimed that they went to the house of Jandoc after they learned that there was a commotion involving the said barangay official and mayoralty candidate Alano Abdulhasim.
Aldulhasim swooped down on the house of Jandoc who was allegedly distributing money to voters in favor of Glan Vice-Mayor James Yap who is running for municipal mayor.
The fuming Abdulhasim, a retired Marine colonel, reportedly barged into the compound of the village chair and caught the act of distributing money to villagers in support of his rival Yap.
Sabillo said Jandoc threatened them while they were trying to cover the incident.
He claimed that Jandoc and his cohorts ganged up on Mones while the latter was taking videos of the incident.
The commotion was pacified after Glan police chief Lt. Col. Giovanni Ladeo arrived in the area.
PCol. Nicomedes Olaivar, Sarangani Police director, had ordered an investigation into the alleged harassment committed against the two reporters.
Olaivar asked Sabillo and Mones to file a formal complaint against Jandoc.
Glan election officer Roy Lacap said he will investigate the allegations of Abdulhasim who is set to file a formal complaint of vote-buying against Jandoc.
Aside from vote-buying charges, Abdulhasim said he will file an administrative complaint against Jandoc with the Department of the Interior and Local Government for engaging in partisan politics during the election campaign.
Jandoc denied the allegations that he harassed the two reporters, saying that he welcomed the filing of the charges against him.