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/* Written  2:36 PM  Dec 13, 1995 by igc:newsdesk in web:ips.english */
/* ---------- "PHILIPPINES-MEDIA: Community Radio" ---------- */
       Copyright 1995 InterPress Service, all rights reserved.
          Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.

                      *** 10-Dec-95 ***

Title: PHILIPPINES-MEDIA: Community Radio Gives Teeth to Democracy

By Kalinga Seneviratne

LAUREL, Philippines, Dec 10 (IPS) - One of the key players during
the 1986 'People's Power' revolt that ousted Ferdinand Marcos was
the Catholic-run 'Radio Veritas', which helped mobilise Filipinos
despite threats by the military to blow up its transmitter.

Today, in this small town about 100 km south of Manila, a
community radio station set up by former Radio Veritas executive
Louie Tabing is giving teeth to Filipino democracy.

A low-powered community radio station run from the premises of
the local Catholic church has mobilised this town of 22,000 to
oppose plans by a national government body and the local town
council to dismantle the fish cage farms in the area which are the
main source of income and nutrition for the people here.

''The people here don't want to speak out. They want to keep
silent. One of the best contributions of this radio station is to
let the people talk about things,'' says Fr Joe Castaneda, the
dynamic young Parish Priest of Laurel and chairman of the
Community Media Council which runs the radio station.

The fish cage industry, introduced in Laurel in 1972 as a
'backyard' fish breeding project, has taken off in a big way in
the last few years, with about 10,000 of the town's population
directly involved in the industry.

The fish farms moved a few years ago from backyards to the Taal
Lake, on whose shores Laurel is located. The industry offers year-
round employment for locals as the fish 'tilapia'  is harvested
almost daily throughout the year.

The Presidential Commission on Tagaytay Taal (PCTT), set up by
President Fidel Ramos to exploit the tourist potential of the
scenic Taal Lake with the volcanic island at the centre, sees the
fish cages as an eyesore and has asked the town council to start
proceedings to dismantle the cages numbering about 3,400.

When news of this leaked out, the parish church and the
Fishcage Owners and Operators Association (FOOA) launched a
campaign to mobilise the people against the move.

''We held a meeting of the citizens committee to discuss what
we can do, because we can't afford to dismantle the cages,'' said
Castaneda. ''We decided to use the radio (for the campaign)''.

Everyday for 20 days the station invited people to attend the
association's first assembly, saying it would decide the future of
the fish cages. It also broadcast discussions on the issue. Town
council members were invited to take part but they declined.

A large number of townsfolk turned out for the assembly, which
was attended by the mayor and PCTT officials. Surprisingly, the
mayor announced at the meeting that he was not in favour of
dismantling the fish cages but supported regulating its locations.

Town council administrator Conrado de Castro said the radio
station's reports that they were planning to totally dismantle the
fish cages had caused panic among the townspeople. He said the
broadcasts were not educational, but had political motives.


Asked why he declined the invitation to discuss the issue on
the air, Castro said the schedule of the radio debate conflicted
with the town council's working hours.

Castaneda sees it as a great victory for democracy and people's
power, and dismissed Castro's complaints. ''They will find any
excuse to hide from the people,'' he said.

Zenaida Mangubat, president of the association of fish owners
and operators, says radio was a very effective instrument in
mobilising the people for the meeting.

''Almost all people here are dependent on fish cages for their
livelihood,'' she told IPS. ''We don't have land here for us all
to till. The land is very steep and we can't plant''.

Mangubat does not oppose developing a tourism industry here to
bring dollars into the country, which she sees as important for
the national economy. But she says: ''If you're going to destroy
this business merely to accommodate tourists, it's very unfair.''

Castaneda says this was not the first time the radio station
mobilised the people for a common cause. In 1994, it denounced the
council's lack of planning and accountability, and challenged town
officials to declare their plans for Laurel's future.

The town council threatened to close down the radio station,
but later backed out when Castaneda questioned the legality of
such a move. ''They had many apprehensions but were afraid of
their own shadow,'' he said.

Last month, the radio station brought together more than 100
people within hours to help clear the main road after a powerful
typhoon lashed through the town.

''During the calamity all national stations were no use to us.
Our broadcaster went on air at 5 am and called on the people to
come over, with their shovels and other implements to clear the
erosion... We started by 7 and finished by noon,'' says Castaneda.

''People were mobilised by our radio... and by the parish
church,'' said Castaneda. He added that the station does not do
any political or religious broadcast -- except for broadcasting
the mass on Sunday mornings. He sees the major task of community
radio as making the people ''socially aware''.

The Laurel radio station is one of six such stations set up in
small communities around the Philippines under the Tambuli project
managed by Tabing. It is funded by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Danish
development aid agency DANIDA.

The Laurel station which got seed funding from this project two
years ago is now funded by the Parish church here. It is run by
the Catholic Media Council which includes Castaneda, Mangubat, and
a representative each from the government and the education
sector. (END/IPS/KS/LNH/95)


Origin: Rome/PHILIPPINES-MEDIA/
                              ----

       [c] 1995, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS)
                     All rights reserved

________________________________________________________
Bruce Girard                 PULSAR: IMPULSO INFORMATIVO
Email: bgirard@pulsar.org.ec
Tel: +(593-2) 525-521    Fax: +(593-2) 542-818
Avenida America 3584, Casilla 17-01-1171, Quito, Ecuador