INQUIRER.net Eleksyon 2007

6 broadcast men enter polls in Iligan City

Mindanao Bureau

Ryan Rosauro

ILIGAN CITY—At least six broadcast journalists here have joined the race for local positions, making the city number one in Mindanao in terms of the number of media practitioners going into politics this May elections.

The six journalists running for the city council are: Joe Pantoja, Kim Jaudian, Terry Mecarsos, Rolando Flores, Ariel Anghay, and Jose Booc.

Of the six, only two—Anghay and Booc—have prior political experience.

Anghay was two-term city councilor before he lost in the 2004 elections while Booc served as chair of Barangay Poblacion before becoming a radio commentator.

Two other broadcast journalists based here are also running for elective posts in other areas.

Richel Umel, also an Inquirer correspondent, is running for a seat in the town council of Linamon in Lanao del Norte while Nestor Amplayo is running in nearby Lugait, Misamis Oriental.

Lino dela Cruz, an Iligan-based print journalist, said media practitioners who entered the political fray could have factored in their public appeal in the process of deciding.

He said all eight have the edge in terms of popularity and name recall because of their daily exposure to radio listeners.

This city and nearby localities, including Linamon and Lugait towns, are highly dependent on radio for local news and information.

“Of course, this cannot guarantee their individual victory but they can develop their political base out of it,” Dela Cruz said.

There were many broadcasters who succeeded in their bid to join the Iligan city council in the past.

They included Anghay; Bert Gofredo, former station manager of Radio Mindanao Network-owned dxIC; Jimmy Semania; lawyer Alfredo Busico, an incumbent councilor who started his professional career in broadcast; and Lito Saquilabon, a former dxIC news anchor.

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