Radio journalist arrested late at night in Negros Occidental

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – Police arrested radio broadcaster and journalist Erwin “Ambo” Delilan late Monday night, January 19, at his home in Barangay Alicante, E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, over an unjust vexation complaint.

Delilan, station manager of 104.7 Hapi Radio FM and a contributor to Rappler, was taken into custody by operatives of the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) shortly after 11 p.m., based on a warrant issued by the Bacolod Regional Trial Court.

Delilan said authorities served the subpoena at a barangay where he no longer resides, effectively denying him the chance to respond before the court ordered his arrest. “They already cut my right to reply at the complaint stage,” Delilan said.

Police detained Delilan overnight at a police office. He was released on bail on Tuesday, January 20. Only upon his release, Delilan said, did he learn that the complaint stemmed from his political posts on Facebook and was filed by Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Reyfrando Diaz II.

Rappler, in a statement, reported that Delilan also fears the possible issuance of additional warrants, as the provincial administrator has filed complaints for multiple counts of cyber libel against him.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines – Negros Island Region (NUJP-NIR) condemned the arrest as an assault on press freedom, asserting that the “case slapped on Delilian is pure intimidation and harassment meant to silence him and the entire press.”

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) in Negros Occidental also issued a statement expressing concern about the manner and timing of the arrest. Similarly, the Iloilo Media-Citizen Council expressed concern over the late-night execution of the warrant for a minor offense. 

Journalists and media watchdogs note that although the charge of unjust vexation is a minor offense, its use against a working journalist has raised alarm about the potential chilling effect on the media’s role in a democratic society.

CMFR joins the call of press freedom defenders, who say that any legal actions involving journalists must be handled with strict adherence to due process to avoid weaponizing the law against freedom of expression and the press.