A complaint has been filed against the municipality of Donsol and Sorsogon vice mayor Zaldy Advincula after the latter allegedly made a scene inside the province gymnasium and gave a Wow Smile Radio reporter a surprise fist blow on August 15.
As he filed a report to the Donsol Police on the same day, Mario Tatel Romero, a Pilar, Sorsogon-based news correspondent, said that Advincula approached and punched him near the town hall compound while covering the Brigada Eskwela activities.
According to a copy of a police blotter signed by Donsol Police Captain Rey John Renoria, the incident happened at around 9:10 a.m. as averred by Romero.
In a statement, Romero admitted that Advincula berated him inside the town session hall.The fortuitous meeting during the Brigada Eskwela Romero was supposed to be an olive branch, mending their differences and putting aside any hostility against his media endeavors, but it played out otherwise.
Wow Smile Radio stated in a statement that the mauling of their reporter while performing media work does not grant the elected public official the right to jab and injure the individual, regardless of his disdain or prejudice.
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The statement warns public officials and other entities that if the local media remains silent, a culture of impunity will prevail, and it urges strong criticism of the occurrence as well as free journalism in the province and the rule of law.
According to a copy of the medical certificate from the Donsol District Hospital shared by Wow Smile Radio, Romero sustained minor injuries to his upper lip from the incident.

Advincula's camp had not yet published an official statement about the incident as of press time.

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