NTC stops two blocktimers from airing radio programs

The National Telecommunications Commission had ordered two Cebuano blocktimers to restrain from airing their radio program or any other program that they might anchor in the radio station.

It also stopped radio station DyDD from using its facilities to air the radio program Engkwentro of the two blocktimers, Rey Cortes and Lito "Bingbong" Solon.

Each of the two were ordered to pay P1,000 to Elberto Emphasis, who filed at the NTC last October 4 a complaint against them for malicious and libelous utterances against him through their radio program.

NTC regional director Danilo Sy, in his order, stated that the words used by Cortes and Solon in their program were not pure comments that could be parts of the narration of facts.

"It is not only malicious but also intentional per se, consciously made for the purpose of maligning and destroying the personal reputation of the complainant," the 10-page decision reads.

Emphasis also accused them of violating NTC’s memorandum circular no. 1-3-2006, "Adopting the program standards for radio and TV broadcast of the Kapisanan ng mg Broadkaster sa Pilipinas."

He said that last September 14, Cortes and Solon, in their radio program Engkwentro, called him "nangawat, mangingilad, nabuang, nayabag," among others.

Sy stated in his decision that the two have committed flagrant violation of the provisions of the NTC circular.

Historically and doctrinally, freedom of expression has never been understood to be an absolute right, said Sy in his decision.

"There are certain well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech, the prevention and punishment for which have never been thought to raise any constitutional problems. In other words some forms of speech are not protected by the Constitution," he said.

The NTC also warned the DyDD management that failure to enforce measures in restraining Cortes and Solon, after receiving a copy of the order, shall be "construed as open defiance and flagrant violation of existing radio laws and regulations."

Last year, the National Bureau of Investigation caught and indicted the two for extorting P20,000 from Emphasis, who was formerly a presidential liaison officer of the Arroyo administration.

On June 12, 2003, Cortes was shot in his right thigh while walking to his car outside the Bureau of Customs. He was with Solon when an unidentified gunman attacked him. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/RAE