Iligan cops padlock radio station DxLS

By Nora Sorino,
Nene Lachica
of GSD-Iligan Bureau
and Nitz Arancon
Correspondent

ILIGAN City–Authorities padlocked a radio station critical of Mayor Celso Regencia on Thursday afternoon.

Radio station DxLS  was padlocked on orders from city hall supposedly because it has been a delinquent taxpayer.

Iligan police director Senior Supt. Leony Roy Ga confirmed that it was Regencia who ordered the radio station padlocked.

City hall spokesman Jose Pantoja told the Gold Star Daily that the radio station ignored repeated notices from the local government about its tax delinquency.

Pantoja said the media company has no business permit, and has not paid local taxes since 2014. He said the media firm owes city hall P42,125.74.

He said the move was part of the city hall campaign to improve its tax collections.

“This has nothing to do with politics. This is a campaign to increase local revenues,” he said.

Aside from DxLS, no other Iligan-based company has been padlocked here for being a tax delinquent.

Pantoja however said DxLS was just the first, and the tax campaign would continue next week.

This paper checked the radio station and found it still padlocked yesterday.

Tessie Cuaresma, a saleslady at a bakery housed in the same building where DxLS operated, said many officers came and padlocked the radio station past 1 pm Thursday.

In January, Mayor Regencia warned that he would have radio stations in the city padlocked unless they secured permits from city hall, and the National Telecommunications Commission.

Police said the radio station was slapped with an April 19 closure order  by Regencia for operating without a business permit, and  fire and health safety certification.

DxLS, also known here as “Love Radio,” is owned by Engr. Rudy Catubay. It operates under the Manila Broadcasting Corp.. Although it is a FM station, DxLS uses the AM radio format in its on-air programs. Its anchormen were known to be very critical of Regencia.

Regencia was under detention until Jan. 30, this year, when his cases of multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder were dismissed by Judge Ferdinand Baylon of the 77th Branch 77 of  the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City.

The case was in connection with the ambush of the convoy of the then congressman Vicente Belmonte Jr. near the Laguindingan airport in Misamis Oriental. The ex-congressman accused Regencia of masterminding the attack.