EARLY MORNING MELTDOWN. In this videograb, Vice President Sara Duterte again lets it all out against the first couple and their allies in the House of Representatives at an online press conference she called on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.
MANILA, Philippines — A press organization urged the National Bureau of Investigation to “rethink” its decision to summon media workers who covered the Nov. 23 online press briefing of Vice President Sara Duterte, where she made threats against President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In a statement on Monday, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) expressed concern over what it considered an “unnecessary” action taken by the NBI in issuing the subpoenas as part of its investigation into Duterte’s statements.
“While we respect the NBI’s duty and jurisdiction to investigate the matter, we note that government agencies have already asked Facebook parent Meta to preserve the video and metadata of the stream,” the group said.
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Little need for it
“Given that the video has already been authenticated, there is little need, in our view, to summon journalists to do that,” it said.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago did not immediately respond to the Inquirer’s request for comment.
The bureau earlier said it would issue subpoenas to 10 to 12 people who “asked questions or participated” during Duterte’s profanity-laden press conference, where she said she had hired a hitman to kill the President, his wife, and his cousin Romualdez, should she herself be assassinated.
The NBI has twice sent subpoenas to the Office of the Vice President for Duterte to explain her remarks, giving her until Dec. 11 to comply.
Duterte was initially summoned to appear before the agency on Nov. 29. Failing to show up, she explained that she learned too late that a House hearing on the same date had been rescheduled so she could attend the NBI inquiry instead.
‘Partisan participation’
The NUJP said the summons could also mean lost income for some media practitioners who are not regular employees and would miss the day’s work.
It also called on media outfits to “weigh the potential effects of their reporters’ involvement in this probe and others that may follow,” as it might be interpreted as “partisan participation.”
“NUJP believes that the best way for media workers to help with government investigations is through fair and accurate reporting as witnesses to our political history, but not necessarily as witnesses in official proceedings,” it said, adding:
“At the very least, colleagues who are summoned should have the assistance and guidance of a company lawyer.”