By CONG B. CORRALES
Associate Editor
with NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent .
ONE of the spokespersons of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 10 complained about being bashed on air by DxCC commentator cum Councilor Zaldy Ocon because of his sexual orientation yesterday morning.
Oliver Inodeo, an information officer at DSWD-10, said he would file a formal complaint against Ocon before the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas and the city council because he was allegedly subjected to unfair treatment apparently because of the official’s prejudice towards gay people.
Inodeo said he was being interviewed on air by Ocon in connection with the DSWD’s “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” or “4Ps” when the councilor allegedly cut short the phone interview on air after he confirmed that he was gay.
“Nasakitan kaayo ko. Unsa’y labot sa akong pagka-bayot sa isyu sa delayed payout sa 4Ps?” Inodeo asked rhetorically.
Inodeo said he did not ask to be interviewed. He pointed out that a production assistant at DxCC called him up and asked if he can be interviewed on live radio about the delays in the 4Ps payout in the region, and he agreed.
While Inodeo was explaining, he said, Ocon interrupted him by saying, “Mura man ka’g bayot.”
Inodeo said he replied: “Yes, Sir, bayot ko.”
Adding insult to injury, Inodeo said, Ocon cut him off the air after telling him, “Bayot man diay ka. Pangita didto’g kaistorya.”
“Gi-bully gyud ko niya on air. Naulawan ako kay wala ma’y labot ang akong pagkabayot sa ginahisgutan namo. That’s personal. Kun iya kini mabuhat sa ako nga government employee, unsa na lang kaha ang ubang bayot? Lugar, irokon na lang niya,” Inodeo said.
Inodeo said he was merely explaining that it wasn’t possible for the DSWD to deliver the funds to all the local governments in the region in one day. “Bisan dili namo kana kontrol nangayo gihapon mi’g dispensa. But to say nga dili mabayran, dili kana tinuod. In fact, ongoing ang payout.”
In an interview, Ocon said he did not call Inodeo a homosexual on air.
“Wala man nako siya tawgag bayot. Akong gi-ingon nga mora man og bayot ka, ingon pud siya (Inodeo) bayot bitaw ko,” he said.
Ocon explained that his remarks were because Inodeo sounded gay and because his answers to his questions were incomprehensible during the radio interview.
He strongly denied that he intentionally cut Inodeo off the air while the DSWD spokesman was speaking.
“Mao tong wala nako ganahi kay naputol man ang iyang linya,” Ocon said.
Regional Association of Government Communicators (Ragcom) president Lynn Ybañez frowned over the alleged on-air gay bashing, adding that media practitioners should respect people regardless of sexual orientation.
Ybañez said it would be unbecoming for public figures, especially a city councilor, to treat other people like that just because of their sexual orientation.
She said she would be taking up the matter with members of Ragcom 10
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