Iloilo broadcasters to cover US presidential elections
Three broadcast journalists from this city will join their colleagues from all over the world in the historic coverage of the presidential elections in the United States on November 4, this year.
Jay D. Balnig, Alvin Dennis Arabang, and Joel Tormon, all anchormen of MBC Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo, will bring to Ilonggo radio audience the events from the United States "live" before, on and after the elections which will pit Senator John McCain of the Republican Party versus Senator Barack Obama of the Democrat Party.
They will join Alex P. Vidal, a fellow Ilonggo journalist accredited to cover world boxing championship events in the United States and Canada, to the US next month.
Tormon, of Cabatuan, Iloilo, will be assigned to Chicago, Illinois while Arabang, a former councilor of Lambunao, Iloilo will report from New York. Balnig, of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, will join Vidal in San Francisco, California.
Station manager John Paul Tia approved the assignments of the three in the West and East Coasts.
"This is a milestone in Iloilo broadcast journalism because for the first time, an all-Ilonggo broadcast team will hobnob with other journalists from Asia, Europe and America in the coverage of one of the most prominent and hotly contested events in the world," said Vidal, associate editor of US-based Philippine News Service, who originated the US "invasion" with the coverage of international championship boxing events in Las Vegas, Nevada and Canada.
"We will all try to meet together after the elections and attend the proclamation of the winner as culmination of our coverage," said Arabang, who is also host of a cable TV program. "We will also try to cover the debates of the candidates, especially between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden."
Balnig said part of their schedule is to meet leaders of Filipino communities in California and Washington D.C. and get their opinion about the elections and their impact on immigrants. Balnig, part time correspondent of Sun Star Iloilo, will also interview officials of Stockton, a sister city of Iloilo City.
"We will foster goodwill with our counterparts and use our experience as stepping stone to gain contacts and enhance our knowledge in coverage of international events," said Balnig.
Already in the US to back up the coverage team are former Aksyon Radyo personnel Lynon Cortez and Josie Moralidad-Simon. (Danyeva Grace Donato/ PNS)