Sun.Star lensman tops Davao City Police media shootfest

SHARPSHOOTER. Taking a break from shooting people with his Nikon, Sunstar Davao photographer King Rodriguez shot down with his sharpshooting skill competitors to emerge champion in the recent DCPO media shootfest

SUN.STAR Davao Publishing Inc. photographer King Rodriguez topped the Firearms Proficiency Test for the Media held at the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) headquarters in Camp Domingo E. Leonor on July 26, beating shooting enthusiasts.
Besting 49 other journalists with a score of 80 points, Rodriguez emerged as champion in the one-day shootfest.
First runner-up is GMA Davao’s anchor Tek Ocampo, who garnered 76 points, while dxAB’s James Galay in second runner-up with 75 points. Both Ocampo and Galay are shooters.
Rodriguez, Ocampo and Galay will receive certificates of recognition along with third runner-up Louell Requilman of UNTV (74) and the rest of the top 10 shooters and their corresponding score, namely: Eli R. Tonge of UNTV (71); Randy L. Cañedo of ABS-CBN (70); Hernando H. Jereus of GMA (58); Jett Pogoy-intern of GMA (56); Michael Limbaga of GMA (52); and Toni Ace P. Bacamante of GMA (52).
Of the 50 media personalities, who participated in the competition, 10 passed the Firearms Proficiency Test.
Senior Superintendent Ronald M. Dela Rosa, DCPO director, said the top 10 shooters will receive their certificates of recognition during the DCPO Patronal Feast in honor to Saint Ignatius of the Apostles on July 31.
Dela Rosa said the Firearms Proficiency Test for the media practitioners was prepared to strengthen the camaraderie of DCPO personnel with the media, and for them to be familiarized with firearms use for security purposes.

JOURNALISTS’ UNION BACKS DAVAO MEDIA WORKERS’ STRIKE VS. RADIO NETWORK

 STATEMENT

July 10, 2012

NUJP-Davao upholds RMN Davao media workers’ right to strike

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines – Davao City Chapter (NUJP-Davao) supports the strike launched by the employees of Radio Mindanao Network Davao starting today.

Faced with an employer heedless of its workers need of decent wages and benefits, the employees are left with no option but to strike, a bargaining act that is rightful under the constitution.

The employer’s callousness to the wage demands of colleagues which are a pittance compared to the profit earned by the company deserves a damning action, no less.

Refusing to go to work until their demands are answered is but a fitting response of the workers to remind the company that they are after all, the spokes that keep the radio business going, and churning in huge profits.

The employees wage and non-wage demands, if totaled would sum up to a measly P99,000.00 a month, in contrast to the P24 million that the RMN Davao station earns monthly.

This strike came a long way. Starting with the dismissal of the former station manager and the sacking of two others in 2010, the RMN Davao workers awoke to the threat of one day losing their jobs if they were not going to fight for it. So they turned to collective action to gain a leverage to bargain with the management following the spate of dismissals. Thus forming a union, a constitutional recourse to be able to defend their jobs and advance their basic rights.

Following the establishment of the union, the RMN Davao workers were able to commence a negotiation for a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) last year. It was timely because the searing price of commodities as a result of oil price hikes had already pushed the wages further down. The employees could not live anymore with a measly P8,000.00 per month.

CBA negotiations however, failed after eight sittings. The management refused to grant any wage increase. The two parties settled on a Voluntary Arbitration scheme, inking a Memorandum of Agreement which stated that union members will be given a lump sum.

The MOA stated that the management and the union will begin to negotiate on the wage increase, rice subsidy, meal allowance starting May this year.  But the management did not comply with the agreement.

Demands for decent wages cannot be put on hold, especially not with RMN doing good business, raking in huge profits. A decent wage is paramount to the media worker’s well-being. Corollary to this is a condition for a free press.

The demands of our colleagues at RMN Davao are just. They are basic human rights.

In support of our colleagues, we say once more that there can be no press freedom if journalists exist in conditions of fear, poverty or corruption. JESSIE CASALDA,Chairperson, NUJP-Davao

RMN-Dxdc workers start labor strike in Davao City

Radio journalist REY FABE sets fire to a streamer bearing Radio Mindanao Network’s  logo during one of the mass actions by workers of Davao City radio station Dxdc

MARIO MAXIMO Dodong SOLIS. His termination in 2010 as Dxdc station manager sowed the first seed of unease among RMN workers

RMN-Dxdc workers start labor strike in Davao City starting 12:01 TODAY JULY 10, 2012

 

READ MORE:

Radio workers in Davao gear up for strike – Bulatlat

RMN workers formally file strike notice before NCMB | Mindanao …

On respecting the rights of media workers | DURIANBURGDAVAO …

SIXTH VITAL WITNESS IN MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE KILLED

Like sitting ducks, vital witnesses are being killed one-by-one in the gruesome 2009 Maguindanao Massacre in southern Philippines where 57 people including 34 journalists perished in a politically-related violence.

A Philippine police official has confirmed that a potential witness in the Maguindanao (south Philippines) massacre had been killed, a private prosecutor said yesterday.

In all, six people¿three witnesses and three relatives of other witnesses¿have been killed in connection with the trial of the politically influential Ampatuan family accused in the Nov. 23, 2009 murders of 57 people, including the wife of the current Maguindanao governor, Esmael Mangudadatu.

Nena Santos, a counsel of the Mangudadatus, said Senior Superintendent Marcelo Pintac, the police director of Maguindanao, had reported that Alijol Ampatuan was shot in Shariff Aguak, the provincial capital, in February, and that he later died.

READ MORE:

Another witness in south Philippines massacre killed