In Leyte, a police officer pushed a reporter who was interviewing farmers
LEYTE – An incident occurred in Barangay Jones in Pastrana where a police officer pushed a reporter who was conducting interviews with farmers.
According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), three journalists from San Juanico TV went to the said barangay on Friday at around 9:30 in the morning.
The reporters were identified as Lito Bagunas, Noel Sianosa, and Ted Tomas. They were engaging with the farmers to discuss a land dispute in the area. Allegedly, they were blocked by a police officer named Rhea Mae Baleos, as seen in a video.
Gunshots were also heard in the video. “A few minutes later, the three journalists heard gunshots. Tomas said he saw policemen in uniform firing the shots,” stated the NUJP. Tomas, one of the reporters covering the barangay, can be heard in the video saying, “Wag kayong magpaputok. Mga media kami.”
According to initial information, the farmers are beneficiaries of a land reform program.
Meanwhile, the land reform program in the Philippines aims to redistribute agricultural lands to landless farmers, promote sustainable farming practices, and alleviate poverty in rural areas. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) is the main initiative, covering public and private agricultural lands.
CARP includes components such as land acquisition, support services, agrarian justice, and rural development. It provides farmers with access to credit, technical assistance, and infrastructure development, while also addressing land tenure conflicts and improving the overall quality of life in agrarian reform communities. Despite progress, challenges like insufficient funding and resistance from landowners hinder its full implementation.
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