Bantay Radyo workers asked to go on leave

More than two days after its transmission sites were disabled, El Nuevo Bantay Radyo is still waiting to go on air.

Busay barangay councilor Yody Sanchez, station vice president for operations, said employees will be asked to go on forced leave with pay while waiting for the confiscated  equipment to be returned.

“We’re still hoping that the devices  will be returned,” he said.

The network of three AM radio stations has 23 employees.

Provincial Board (PB) Member Gigi Sanchez said PAFI Foundation, which she leads as  CEO, paid in court the required P1-million bond at the first hour yesterday.

The bond is for the effectivity of a Temporary Restraining Order which was issued by the court last Friday against the Sarraga Integrated and Management (SIAM) Broadcasting  Network,  franchise owner of  the network,  and the Cebu CFI Community Cooperative.

READ: PAFI still unable to post P1M bond to keep Bantay Radyo

Sanchez said her lawyers are finalizing a motion to cite SIAM in contempt.

Last Saturday, several men entered the premises  of all three radio towers between midnight and 1 a.m. and removed three  black boxes that generate the carrier frequency for the radio transmitters.

Without the devices, which cost about P600,000 and have to be ordered in the US, the radio stations can’t broadcast.

Yody Sanchez said he confirmed with a a SIAM official that the exciters  were removed on the instruction of the company president  Franciso Sarraga.

A legal battle continues over a planned takeover of management of Bantay Radyo after SIAM decided to end the contract upon expiry last  July 31 and signed up  Cebu CFI Community Cooperative for a new contract.

The court, however, said the PAFI Foundation founded by the late vice governor Greg Sanchez, Gigi’s father,  had deposited the amount of P700,000 in the account of SIAM on April 10 as initial payment of their extended management agreement which was a “tacit renewal” of their contract.

“Patently, the right of the plaintiff to the management and operation of radio stations and facilities of dyDD (Cebu), dyHH (Haibaiyo), and dy ZZ (Bogo City) and Bantay Radio still subsists.”

The court ordered PAFI to pay a  P1-million bond pending final resolution of the civil case. It stopped the  defendants from taking over the management and operations of the stations including its broadcasting facilities, equipment and machineries.

Aileen Pacayra, in charge of the RTC Branch 9 civil records section said they haven’t received a notice yet about the bond payment.

Yody Sanchez accused CFI of involvement in the raids, saying  the co-op already set up a studio in the Cebu Cooperative Bank along M. Velez Street in preparation for a takeover. He said CFI also acquired an antenna, hired technicians and made arrangements to several announcers “but they can’t function without a tower transmitter, radials, and more.” Lawyer Lito Astillero, CFI spokesman, confirmed that the co-op already purchased equipment from the US but said they still did not hire any technicians or announcers.