MAY 4, 1998

Chapel Net Media Relations Officer Bro. Noel Bava met yesterday afternoon with Radio Veritas’ Task Force "Botohan ’98" Head Melo Acuña to discuss the link up between the Chapel Net and the broadcasting company. It was mutually agreed that the Chapel Net will give a list of the seminarians who are members of the Seminarians’ Network (SEM NET) from the formation houses of the San Carlos Seminary, UST Central Seminary and San Jose Seminary of Ateneo. These seminarians who are deployed at different dioceses around the country are to give news reports pertaining to the elections such as election-related violence, poll fraud and violations of the COMELEC’s Omnibus Election Code. In return, the Radio Veritas has promised to extend media coverage of the local situations that will be reported by the seminarians. It has also provided the Chapel Net a list of the 45 local AM stations that are affiliated with the Catholic Media Network headed by Fr. Francis Lucas. Acuña also agreed to Bro. Bava’s proposal that their organization be allowed to announce important news events or information concerning the activities of their network.

Chapel Net Coordinator Fr. Joel Tabora, along with some seminarians from Chapel Net met with ABS-CBN representatives Danny Buenafe and Jing Magsaysay regarding the tie up with this station. ABS-CBN reporters and mobile units for HALALAN ’98 and REACT PHILS. will be deployed to different parts of the country. SemNet members in different dioceses can communicate with the station or with the reporters in their respective areas to report election related incidents, especially those that are anomalous in nature. With regard to this, three trunk lines in the ABS station will be devoted for this purpose. Six to nine seminarians will man the three trunklines to answer the calls from our semninarians in the base and those of our PPCRV and NAMFREL contacts.