UNTV 37 offers P1-million-reward for conviction of TV host killers
April 29, 2008
UNTV 37 has offered a P1-M reward for the speedy arrest of the killers of Marcos Mataro, one of the hosts of D’ Ex-Man program.
UNTV Station Manager Jay Sonza confirmed that sponsors, sympathizers, friends and kind souls raised the amount to speed up the probe of the broad daylight murder of Mataro, a former Iglesia Ni Cristo minister who joined the Ang Dating Daan.
Earlier, UNTV management appealed to PNP Chief Dir. Gen. Avelino Razon Jr. and PNP Region 3 Chief Director Errol Pan for a speedy resolution of the case.
Mataro was mercilessly gunned down by two unidentified gunmen yesterday morning while waiting for a ride near the San Simon exit, San Simon, Pampanga. Mataro sustained six gunshot wounds in the eye, forehead, neck and chest from a 9-mm pistol. [Press Release]
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Former INC Minister transfers to ADD, gets killed
April 29, 2008
Pampanga, Philippines (April 29, 2008) – A former Iglesia ni Cristo minister who transferred to the Ang Dating Daan (ADD) group was killed after being shot by two unidentified gunmen past 10 a.m., Sunday, in San Simon, Pampanga.
The victim was identified as Marcos Mataro, 39, the main host of the UNTV program D’ X-Man. Mataro was given 6 shots from 9mm Caliber pistol in the forehead, right eye, neck, and chest that instantly claimed his life. It was identified that the victim had studied ministerial course in New Era University of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) before getting affiliated with the ADD.
According to the initial investigation of the SOCO police of Camp Olivas, the victim was waiting in San Simon, Pampanga for a bus going towards Manila when he was suddenly shot six times by two young men in their late twenties riding astride a motorcycle with plate number DW4524. The suspects abandoned their motorcycle which failed to back up and hitched a bus going to San Fernando instead. SOCO stands for Scene of the Crime Operations.
At present, a follow-up investigation is being conducted by police of San Simon. Francisco Cortez, Chief of Police, believes that the victim’s transfer of the religion has something to do with the incident.
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A certain Janine Infante witnessed the shootings and detailed the incident in an interview with the police.
“ . . . when the suspect ascended, a gunshot was heard . . . the two suspects were in a motorcycle with masks on. Upon discovering that their motor was malfunctioning, they took a bus going to San Fernando, a Baliwag transit.”
Another witness, Rey Velasquez stated:
“When we arrived there, we found the body lying on the ground, then we called the cops. The cops investigated, then called a SOCO team. We waited for them, we could not just touch the body . . . three shots in the chest, one in the right eye, one in the nape and one under the ear.
At present, authorities are pursuing the investigation to identify the suspects. The Chief of Police of San Simon, Francisco Cortez, said –
“ . . . we are planning to conduct a follow-up investigation. The owner of the motorcycle perhaps lives just nearby. Meanwhile, we are waiting for the relatives of the victim as they may be able to give us any lead. You know, there’s a possibility that there were threats the victim was receiving while he was still alive . . .”
According to a co-host of the program, Mataro had been receiving many death threats ever since he left his former religion and became the host of the ADD program, D’ X-Man.
D’ X-Man in UNTV 37 show is formatted to expose the false doctrines of the INC group and it documented reports of crimes that the group have done previously.
According to the former national treasurer of the INC, Lydia Manuyag, in an interview conducted by UNTV news, she and the rest of the former members of the INC often received death threats. She said, “We are receiving threats through text messages saying “We will skin you alive and we will be beheading you” . . . and with my experience with them, they really mean it”
“Somehow it comes in our minds that this thing is really bound to happen . . . and we know that Marcos has the highest possibility of coming across this as he is the one mainly attacking the INC in our show,” Manuyag stated.
The ex-INC treasurer also shared the same experience that happened with her family after transferring to the ADD group. She said “after I have testified in SBN 21, there were threats I received from my former religion . . . by April the year I transferred in ADD, we were being showered with bullets in our home. That was after the threat that I received a 24 hour countdown to return to the INC central.”
Manuyag’s husband, Marciano, was given 8 shots in their home at Christianville Subdivision, in Rizal on April 18, 2003. Marciano managed to survive and testified of the incident in the ADD program.
Even before the killings, Mataro had been into a similar life-threatening incident in a fast food chain restaurant in Apalit, Pampanga some 2 years ago. The victim was invited by his former INC fellows for a discussion but they ended in beating up Mataro along with his companions. A certain Mr. Ferma, a confirmed INC minister, led the beatings.
The video footage of Ferma and his group beating some ADD members and Mataro was played in Ito ang Balita in UNTV 37.
Mataro together with Manuyag and the rest of their physically-mauled companions filed charges against this group of INC, but Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Otto Macabulos of San Fernando dismissed the case. This was questioned by the ADD group because when this INC group filed charges against the ADD of frustrated murder, they easily got attention.
“In that food chain incident, we were the ones being physically beaten, abused, and mobbed and yet we were the ones charged of frustrated murder. It was the opposite of the true account . . .” Manuyag testified.
Some two years ago, another ex-INC minister, Abner Martezano, had been charged with multiple cases when he transferred to the ADD group. His children were made by the INC to testify against their father. The threats against Martezano stopped only when he stopped appearing in public as a former INC minister.
Manuyag appealed to the authorities for protection for those who are leaving the INC from its deadly threats, and to take action to give justice to the death of Mataro.
UNTV 37’s media support for Philhealth programs cited
April 10, 2008
UNTV 37, the Philippines’ undisputed public service-based channel, was cited for its support in promoting Philhealth programs by the government.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation awarded the Philhealth Media Partner Award to UNTV this year “in recognition of the channel’s role in the dissemination of information regarding the programs of Philhealth.
UNTV Station Manager Jay Sonza received the award and thanked Philhealth for recognizing the efforts of UNTV to deliver public service by way of useful and timely information.
He added, other services are also being given free of charge to the public with the flagship program hosted by radio and TV broadcast personality Mr. Daniel Razon, “Good Morning Kuya.” These services include free medical services, legal services, free bus rides, and even job search assistance and many others. This is in line with the station’s avowed mission to be the country’s truly public service channel.
Philhealth representatives have been frequent guests of Kaagapay, a public information program aired daily on UNTV 37 from 7 to 8 in the evening, hosted by Rolly “Lakay” Gonzalez, Annie Rentoy and Dr. Mandy Saguin. In one of the episodes of the said show, a Philhealth representative expressed the institution’s gratitude for increasing awareness of Philhealth’s programs to its members.
Aside from “Kaagapay” and “Good Morning Kuya,” UNTV 37 now also offers a slate of new programs designed to disseminate factual information as well as news analysis designed to educate television viewers. These programs are “Bahala si Bitag” hosted by hard-hitting TV investigative journalist Ben Tulfo, and “Ito ang Balita” anchored by Jay Sonza and Candace Giron.