Davao Oriental

Mati City orders 4 radio stations closed down for operating without permits

Ferdinand Zuasola

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Mati City orders 4 radio stations closed down for operating without permits

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Broadcast executives agree to comply and move to a nearby Davao Oriental town instead

DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – The Mati City government has ordered four radio stations closed down for operating without permits from the local government of Davao Oriental’s capital city.

Ordered closed were Mati-based broadcasters Radyo Mayo, Radyo Birada, T Radio, and Sunrise FM.

The cease-and-desist order, signed by Mati City administrator Alejandro Aquino and city legal officer Kareen Silver Manluyang on February 27, was served on Monday, March 13, according to Radyo Mayo manager Nathaniel Quinonez.

The managers of stations Radyo Birada and Radyo Mayo said they would comply with city hall’s order.

It was the first time in Davao Oriental for a local government to order the closure of radio stations, a move seen by the managers of Radyo Birada and Radyo Mayo as “politically motivated.”

Two of the four radio stations have been widely perceived to have favored the unsuccessful mayoral bid of Joel Almario, the rival of Mayor Michelle Rabat, in the 2022 elections.

Raul Antupuesto, the chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) in Davao Oriental, said the radio stations that were ordered closed would relocate to the nearby town of San Isidro where they would continue their broadcasts.

“There is nothing we can do about it. There are indeed violations committed by the radio stations,” said Antupuesto. “We have agreed to transfer to the nearby town of San Isidro from where the people of Mati City can still hear our radio shows.” 

Antupuesto owns a Radyo Natin franchise in Mati City and operates two other radio stations in Davao City and Lupon, Davao Oriental. Although not among those ordered closed, he said his Mati radio station would also move to San Isidro to protest the order to shut down the four Mati broadcasters.

The closure order also raised questions about the difficulty of securing permits from the city government. 

Lito Labra, the station manager of Radyo Birada, said the city government made it difficult for them to secure a permit.

“I tried to apply for a business permit before, but the city government was asking for so many documents. We were given a hard time securing a permit,” Labra told Rappler.

He said Radyo Birada would stop broadcasting from Mati beginning on Friday, March 17, to comply with city hall’s order.

The office of Mayor Rabat has yet to issue a statement regarding the controversial order to close down the four radio stations in Mati City. – Rappler.com

Ferdinand Zuasola is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow. Disclosure: He hosts a daily morning show at Radyo Mayo, one of the four radio stations ordered closed by the city government of Mati.

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