Aurora radio broadcaster nabbed

A radio broadcaster working for a non-government organization was reportedly kidnapped last 03 March (Manila time) in the town of Baler, Aurora province, about 150 kilometers northeast of Manila.

Joey Estriber, a commentator of radio station dzJO based in the said town, was taken by unidentified men at around 6:30pm near an internet café along a local street.

According to witnesses, Estriber managed to cry for help, before he was forcibly taken by four unidentified men into a van, which in turn, sped immediately after the incident.

Hours after the abduction took place, a text message apparently coming from Estriber and sent to several of his colleagues, quoted the broadcaster as saying that he was “all right… and I’m just hiding.”

Estriber’s colleagues believe though, that the purported message came from his kidnappers. They have not heard anything from radioman since his abduction took place.

Estriber worked as a host of Pag-usapan Natin (Let’s Talk About It), a radio program supported by a church-founded, non-government organization called Bataris. The NGO, also described as an “institution for basic sectors,” was also reported to have made enemies among the local military and police.

Newspaper reports said that Estriber tackled various topics on corruption in Aurora, including among the police and military ranks. Estriber was an active church worker and community leader/member of Bataris, according to colleague and friend Tonette Orejas of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

A Bataris building was burned down last December, and two of its staff members were almost abducted in the same month. In February, an unnamed military officer claimed on radio that members of non-government organizations like Bataris are in the military’s “order of battle.”

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility is still trying to determine the circumstances surrounding Estriber’s abduction.

A national broadcaster’s federation, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, is seeking the help of Philippine National Police’s Task Force Newsmen for the immediate rescue of Estriber. ###

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