Quo vadis Radio Sagada? General assembly set soon
>> Monday, May 24, 2021
HAPPY WEEKEND
Gina
Dizon
SAGADA Mountain Province -- Faced with
technical, financial, management and red-tagging issues, beleaguered Radio
Sagada will conduct its general assembly soon to thresh out matters and plan
what to do next.
Calls for the conduct of general assembly via social media were brought to the attention of the board of trustees (BOT) as continuous airing of music was heard on the airwaves of Radio Sagada’s 104.7 FM for quite some time.
BOT chairman Fr Marcs Castaneda said a general assembly shall be conducted in ‘due time when all things will be well and ready.”
The holding of a general assembly had been discussed by the BOT in their meetings, Castaneda added.
The above concern was compounded with the Radio Sagada Community Media Network (RSCMN) popularly called Radio Sagada going off- air due to technical glitches a week ago.
Heavy rains visited Sagada a day before the closing of the radio’s operations.
Technical issues bugged Radio Sagada through the years especially during heavy rainy seasons when lightning and thunder with resulting power surges brought havoc to the transmitter and receiver installed at the Smart tower at Mt Ampakaw and the radio going off-air.
In between on and off air operations, Radio Sagada with its mission, “Voice of the community,” had been a venue for talk shows of all sorts – from current events to news features and analysis political, economic, religious, cultural, health and environmental issues.
This in some 20 talk shows heard by listeners since its launching in 2011 with a transmission power of 200 watts and heard as far as Viewpoint Banaue, Conner Apayao, Tabuk Kalinga, Tubo Abra, Sayangan Benguet, and Cervantes Ilocos Sur.
Among top favorite development programs then were Kalin di Umili, Gag-ay di Umiili, Mountain Province Reports, Police Reports and Talk of the Town by private individual volunteer programmers as noted in a survey on ‘program preferences and perceptions of listeners of 104.7 Radio Sagada” by John Waking in his course Bachelor of Science in Development Communication submitted to Benguet State University in April 2013.
Some 20 development programs were then heard when Radio Sagada first appeared on air in 2011. Program volunteers are private individuals from town and some from government agencies – from the Sagada LGU, Mt Province LGU, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Education (DepED); and the ecumenical churches.
After sometime in the previous years, the programs gradually disappeared for one reason or another.
Castaneda said, “We are optimistic to have the regular program with news, with the updates from the different government agencies and they will be anchoring their own, spiritual reflections from pastors and priests, and other volunteers with their particular topic and time.”
Management issues bugged the station with charges of illegal dismissal against station manager Mary Carling and the Management Board. Filed before the office of the Department of Labor and Employment –National Labor Relations Commission (DOLE-NLRC) in 2016. The complainant- staff Evelyn Piluden eventually won her case at NLRC who decided in her favor in 2018.
Radio Sagada was established in 2009 with the partnership of program holder Northern Media Information Network, donors Philippine Misereor Partners Inc (PMPI) and MIVA (Ministerio Internacional Vida Abundante), Isis International-Manila which delivered trainings and Radio Sagada Board of Trustees composed of sectoral representatives.
The National Council of Churches of the Philippines (NCCP) is one among the members of the Radio Sagada’s BOT being the franchise holder of the frequency that Radio Sagada is currently using.
Radyo Sagada is a member of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), an alliance of more than four thousand community radio stations worldwide.
With the partnership, Germany –based Miserior supported the operations of the radio station from 2011 till it stopped its financial support in December 2021.
Through the years of the donor’s support, Radio Sagada employed a station manager, a full time broadcaster and two other volunteers who were paid on part time basis doing broadcast and bookkeeping works.
Initial support for the start of operations for a radio station in Sagada was given by party list Bayan Muna sometime in 2004 the amount of P1 million. A fraction of this was used for trainings and the improvement of a structure as its office where the station is housed now. With the non-use of the remaining P850,000 the LGU eventually returned the unspent funds to the national treasury in 2017 due to some technical issues.
Some finances were sourced from advertizing fees of some government programs namely Cordillera Highland Agricultural Management Program (CHARMP) of the Department of Agriculture in their program ‘ school on air’ and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in their Cordillera autonomy information education campaigns.
Other funds were sourced from politicians who delivered their sorties in previous electoral campaigns in the 2013, 2016 and 2019 national elections.
Recently, it was learned that the local government unit of Sagada forwarded to support Radio Sagada with P200,000 for the radio station’s operations but no actual allotment was yet done in the LGU’s budget.
Via social media through Sagada Reports Facebook group page, Castaneda said a memorandum of agreement is ‘under study by the BOT of Radio Sagada and the LGU of Sagada.
In said Facebook group page, Dr Gay Manodon, vice chairperson of NCCP informed Castaneda that NCCP be given a copy of the MOA “if they will be amenable to said MOA”, NCCP being the franchise holder of frequency Radio Sagada is using.
Red tagging issues also bug Radio Sagada.
As informed by Castaneda among some ‘persons of interest’ and members from the Sagada-based 54rth IB and the Philippine National Police (PNP) , Castaneda said Radio Sagada is one among red-tagged radio stations in the country in a meeting February this year.
While this is so, management concerns is one pressing matter that RSCMN faces along with a BOD with a three year term which lapsed this 2021. BOT chairperson Steve Dagacan held the chairmanship for quite some time till Castaneda took over in 2018.
Station manager for 10 years Mary Carling resigned April this year.
Radio Sagada as the “Voice of the community” awaits its going on air again.
Calls for the conduct of general assembly via social media were brought to the attention of the board of trustees (BOT) as continuous airing of music was heard on the airwaves of Radio Sagada’s 104.7 FM for quite some time.
BOT chairman Fr Marcs Castaneda said a general assembly shall be conducted in ‘due time when all things will be well and ready.”
The holding of a general assembly had been discussed by the BOT in their meetings, Castaneda added.
The above concern was compounded with the Radio Sagada Community Media Network (RSCMN) popularly called Radio Sagada going off- air due to technical glitches a week ago.
Heavy rains visited Sagada a day before the closing of the radio’s operations.
Technical issues bugged Radio Sagada through the years especially during heavy rainy seasons when lightning and thunder with resulting power surges brought havoc to the transmitter and receiver installed at the Smart tower at Mt Ampakaw and the radio going off-air.
In between on and off air operations, Radio Sagada with its mission, “Voice of the community,” had been a venue for talk shows of all sorts – from current events to news features and analysis political, economic, religious, cultural, health and environmental issues.
This in some 20 talk shows heard by listeners since its launching in 2011 with a transmission power of 200 watts and heard as far as Viewpoint Banaue, Conner Apayao, Tabuk Kalinga, Tubo Abra, Sayangan Benguet, and Cervantes Ilocos Sur.
Among top favorite development programs then were Kalin di Umili, Gag-ay di Umiili, Mountain Province Reports, Police Reports and Talk of the Town by private individual volunteer programmers as noted in a survey on ‘program preferences and perceptions of listeners of 104.7 Radio Sagada” by John Waking in his course Bachelor of Science in Development Communication submitted to Benguet State University in April 2013.
Some 20 development programs were then heard when Radio Sagada first appeared on air in 2011. Program volunteers are private individuals from town and some from government agencies – from the Sagada LGU, Mt Province LGU, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Education (DepED); and the ecumenical churches.
After sometime in the previous years, the programs gradually disappeared for one reason or another.
Castaneda said, “We are optimistic to have the regular program with news, with the updates from the different government agencies and they will be anchoring their own, spiritual reflections from pastors and priests, and other volunteers with their particular topic and time.”
Management issues bugged the station with charges of illegal dismissal against station manager Mary Carling and the Management Board. Filed before the office of the Department of Labor and Employment –National Labor Relations Commission (DOLE-NLRC) in 2016. The complainant- staff Evelyn Piluden eventually won her case at NLRC who decided in her favor in 2018.
Radio Sagada was established in 2009 with the partnership of program holder Northern Media Information Network, donors Philippine Misereor Partners Inc (PMPI) and MIVA (Ministerio Internacional Vida Abundante), Isis International-Manila which delivered trainings and Radio Sagada Board of Trustees composed of sectoral representatives.
The National Council of Churches of the Philippines (NCCP) is one among the members of the Radio Sagada’s BOT being the franchise holder of the frequency that Radio Sagada is currently using.
Radyo Sagada is a member of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), an alliance of more than four thousand community radio stations worldwide.
With the partnership, Germany –based Miserior supported the operations of the radio station from 2011 till it stopped its financial support in December 2021.
Through the years of the donor’s support, Radio Sagada employed a station manager, a full time broadcaster and two other volunteers who were paid on part time basis doing broadcast and bookkeeping works.
Initial support for the start of operations for a radio station in Sagada was given by party list Bayan Muna sometime in 2004 the amount of P1 million. A fraction of this was used for trainings and the improvement of a structure as its office where the station is housed now. With the non-use of the remaining P850,000 the LGU eventually returned the unspent funds to the national treasury in 2017 due to some technical issues.
Some finances were sourced from advertizing fees of some government programs namely Cordillera Highland Agricultural Management Program (CHARMP) of the Department of Agriculture in their program ‘ school on air’ and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in their Cordillera autonomy information education campaigns.
Other funds were sourced from politicians who delivered their sorties in previous electoral campaigns in the 2013, 2016 and 2019 national elections.
Recently, it was learned that the local government unit of Sagada forwarded to support Radio Sagada with P200,000 for the radio station’s operations but no actual allotment was yet done in the LGU’s budget.
Via social media through Sagada Reports Facebook group page, Castaneda said a memorandum of agreement is ‘under study by the BOT of Radio Sagada and the LGU of Sagada.
In said Facebook group page, Dr Gay Manodon, vice chairperson of NCCP informed Castaneda that NCCP be given a copy of the MOA “if they will be amenable to said MOA”, NCCP being the franchise holder of frequency Radio Sagada is using.
Red tagging issues also bug Radio Sagada.
As informed by Castaneda among some ‘persons of interest’ and members from the Sagada-based 54rth IB and the Philippine National Police (PNP) , Castaneda said Radio Sagada is one among red-tagged radio stations in the country in a meeting February this year.
While this is so, management concerns is one pressing matter that RSCMN faces along with a BOD with a three year term which lapsed this 2021. BOT chairperson Steve Dagacan held the chairmanship for quite some time till Castaneda took over in 2018.
Station manager for 10 years Mary Carling resigned April this year.
Radio Sagada as the “Voice of the community” awaits its going on air again.
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