Incoming DOJ chief Remulla chides media, lauds social media

Cavite 7th District Rep. Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla. From Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — Cavite 7th District Rep. Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, who is poised to take the helm of the Department of Justice (DOJ), on Tuesday criticized the media, telling it to “be responsible,” and expressed relief that “good thing” there is “social media which equalizes everything.”

In a series of interviews with One News PH, Remulla hit the current state of the Philippine media, saying it should help the public “love the country more.”

“The end game really is, the Philippine media should help us love our country more,” he said.

According to Remulla, the media should learn not to find slants and propagandas and “just complete the story.”

“Just complete the story. Ayun lang ang gusto kong mangyari (That’s all I want to happen)… just be responsible…just be responsible,” he said.

He also said that using the media itself “is the best way to do brainwashing.”

“Ang maganda na lang meron tayong (the good thing is we have) social media which equalizes everything,” he added.

In the same interview, Remulla tagged “big corporations coupled with big media” as the biggest enemy of the state as it supposedly has “the habit of bashing nation states.”

“I just want us to be a better nation state, meaning to say ang ating pagmamahal sa bayan, ang ating bayan ay marunong depensahan ang sarili, irespeto ang ating kultura at magkaisa tayo (meaning to say our love for the country, our country knows how to defend itself, respect our culture and is united),” he said.

“Sapagkat ang ating pinakamalaking kalaban sa totoo lang, na sa ngayon sa buong mundo nangyayari na, na malalaking korporasyon na controlled [ang] big media na sinisira nila ang concept ng nation state,” he added.

(Because our biggest opponent is actually, which is now happening all over the world, big corporations controlling big media. They are destroying the concept of the nation state.)

He then claimed that the big media, or what is basically the traditional mainstream media, is being weaponized for the sake of “liberal hegemonism,” a theory that refers to a strategy that pushes the dominance of liberalism as the legitimate norm or idea.

“Speaking on the side of caution, my nationalist leanings, ayaw ko na i-weaponize ang media para i-brainwash ang Pilipino (I don’t want the media to be weaponized to brainwash Filipinos)…” said Remulla.

“Sa constitution, malinaw naman na may bill of rights, rights of expression. Respetado natin ‘yan. Ang sinasabi lang natin, pag nag-combine ang big business saka big media at ginamit ng big business ang media to weaponize, eh wasak lahat,” he added.

(In the constitution, obviously there is a bill of rights, rights of expression. We respect that. All we’re saying is, when big business combines with big media and big business uses media to weaponize, it’s all ruined.)

But he clarified that he does not intend to regulate the media; that he merely hopes that the media would not be “weaponized.”

Remulla did not name which media outfit he was referring to, but reiterated multiple times that the media should be owned by 100 percent Filipino entities under the constitution.

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