The card. Bo, president of the FABC, questioned the removal of the programming director of the peninsular Catholic station, a decision made by the Philippine ecclesiastical body that manages his legal status. The real reason for the disagreement is the possibility of moving the station from Manila to Thailand, to reduce costs. In 2018, shortwave programs had already been suspended, transferring the news to the web, in 21 languages. The new commission of four bishops must find a solution.
Manila () – Radio Veritas, the Catholic broadcaster promoted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) that produces web news in English and 21 Asian languages, is in chaos over a dispute over its future. The matter came to light today, with a note through which Card. Charles Bo, Archbishop of Rangoon and president of the FABC, announced “the suspension of programs and activities.” Although from Manila – where the station is based and operates through the legal entity Philippine Radio Educational and Information Center (Preic) – the president of the Philippine Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Pablo Virgilio David, told the news agency licas that the activities of Radio Veritas “continue in accordance with Philippine standards” pending clarification.
The crux of the dispute is the dismissal of Fr. Bernard Dashi Tang – director of programming, whose three-year mandate had recently been renewed by the FABC Office for Social Communications (OSC). His removal was announced yesterday by the general director of Radio Veritas, from Manila. The card. Bo considers that the PREIC removed Father Bernard “unilaterally and without consulting”. The Archbishop of Rangoon referred to “a meeting of the coordinators of the Radio Veritas services and other members (held yesterday, ed.) publicly” the decision. “This,” he writes, “is not Christian and is unprecedented.”
Cardinal Bo explained that “Radio Verita is a project of the FABC and, as such, it is the prerogative of the FABC to make decisions about its policies, programming, personnel and administration. This has been the practice until now, and I am surprised to see a virtual assumption of these decisions by the PREIC, which arose to provide legal protection to Radio Veritas In Philippines”.
The FABC referred the matter to a four-member committee that will look into the plans and proposals. Its members are the Archbishop of Tokyo and Secretary General of the FABC, Monsignor Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, the Bishop of Penang, President of the Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Monsignor David, Monsignor Sebastián Francis, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. , and a yet-to-be-appointed bishop from Thailand. The FABC Social Communication Office is confident that a solution can be reached through dialogue.
Radio Veritas It was created more than fifty years ago with the aim of providing a continental Catholic station serving Asian countries in their local languages, for which it was nicknamed “the voice of Asian Christianity”. Its headquarters are in the Philippines because it is a country with a Catholic majority and enjoys a geographical position as the gateway to China through the airwaves. Historically in the Philippines, Radio Veritas he played a key role in restoring democracy to the country during the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos.
Beyond the confrontation around the person of the director of the program, what is sought is to reflect on the future of Radio Veritas. For some months now, the possibility of moving the headquarters from the Philippines to Thailand has been evaluated. A choice linked to concern for the economic sustainability of the station, which since its founding in 1969 has had the support of the Holy See and some German ecclesiastical bodies. In fact, the decision to shut down shortwave broadcasting and transfer all activity to the web (in 2018) went in this direction. With this, a drastic reduction in costs was sought.
Faced with dwindling sources of support, the FABC is discussing other ways to ensure financial sustainability, which also involve managing property and staff. In the meantime, it has solicited feedback from representatives of benefactors, consultants, and other interested parties.
