Palace to decide fate of erring Kalinga governor

By Dexter A. See

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Department of Interior and Local Government already completed its findings and recommendations on the case involving embattled Kalinga Gov. Josel Baac and government radioman Jerome Tabanganay but it will be up to President Aquino to decide on the gravity of the offense and the penalty to be imposed on the governor, DILG Sec. Jesse M. Robredo said here Tuesday.

He said all records of the case accompanied by the agency’s corresponding recommendations were included in the documents submitted to the office of the President for further evaluation before handing out the decision.

Tabanganay already filed grave threats and serious physical injuries against Baac which emanated from the incident inside the dZRK Radyo ng Bayan Kalinga around 1 p.m. of June 7, when the governor barged into the announcer’s booth of the station, pulled out the microphone and whacked the former with another microphone which he also pulled out from inside the booth.

However, Baac belied the allegations of the radioman, saying that he went inside the radio station to confront Tabanganay over his biased reportage and commentary against him which allegedly became too personal over the past several days.

Despite the filing of the cases against the governor and the submission of the DILG’s report to the Office of the president, the two protagonists continued to engage each other in a word war over radio stations and media outfits in Baguio city which could further complicate the matter.
While both persons believe the matter will be peacefully settled in the future, their actions seem to head otherwise, thus, Robredo advised them to keep quiet about the case and await the decision of President Aquino on the case.

Considering that the issue is being slowly blown out of proportion by no less than the two individuals involved in the case and their supporters, concerned sectors in the province appealed to both parties to leave the decision on the case to the proper authorities and not to make unnecessary actions that will delay the handing down of the verdict so that the Kalinga people will start moving on from where they left.

Robredo said the penalty to be imposed against Baac would range from reprimand to dismissal but it all depends on the evaluation of the Office of the President on the circumstances leading to the alleged harassment and harming of a government radioman who had been always criticizing the governor for his alleged virtual failure to stop illegal logging and illegal gambling in the province the past months since he assumed office last year.