Tarlac journalist’s house strafed

TARLAC CITY — The house of a controversial local photojournalist was strafed at dawn yesterday by still unidentified gunmen, an incident which the provincial media condemned as a "direct assault on the Fourth Estate."

No one, however, was reported hurt when the gunmen, who were aboard two motorcycles, riddled with M-16 bullets, the house of Ver Buan at Phase II of the Northern Hills Subdivision here at about 4 a.m.

Buan, who works with Tarlac Forum, a local tabloid, has been known as a hard-hitting journalist. His foes, however, alleged he is involved in "shady deals."

But Amante Reyes, vice president of the Tarlac Press and Radio Club, said the issue is not the person involved, but the assault itself.

Reyes said the incident is clearly a direct assault on media and definitely designed to silence critical journalists regardless of their reputation.

Buan has criticized several local politicians, among them this city’s Mayor Gelacio Manalang, several department heads at City Hall, Mayors Julie Icmat and Mario Madela of Mayantoc and Pura towns, respectively, as well as prominent businessman Antonio Chua.

The Tarlac Forum, in its recent issues, has also severely criticized the municipal government of La Paz, currently headed by outgoing Mayor Lita Flores, and the town’s mayor-elect Dionisio Manuel.

Manalang vehemently denied any involvement in the strafing, saying, "I don’t have criminal instincts, and the well-meaning mediamen of Tarlac know that even if they harshly criticize me, I don’t harbor any ill-will against them."

He said it would be very unjust if somebody makes sweeping judgments in this incident. "Let us just let the authorities thoroughly investigate this and not cloud the issue any further," he said.

The other mayors have also denied having any hand in the attack on Buan’s home.

Reyes said he also called up Chua, whom he quoted as denying having knowledge of the attack. A couple of years ago, the Filipino-Chinese businessman won a P1-million libel suit against Buan.

A police investigator involved in the case admitted that they continue to face a blank wall on who was really behind the strafing.

"He has offended a lot of people, and we have no idea of the extent of his reported deals," said the policeman, who requested anonymity.

The policeman said Buan is close to Gov. Jose Yap Sr., Manalang’s winning rival in the recently concluded three-cornered gubernatorial race.

He said the gunmen "obviously only intended to intimidate Buan," noting that the slugs collected from Buan’s home showed they were fired downwards.

This is not, however, the first time that Buan was attacked. In 1994, his car was set on fire in broad daylight right in front of the Carlos P. Romulo Memorial Library along Romulo Boulevard here.