President elect Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech during the thanksgiving party held at Crocodile Park, Ma-a, Davao City, June 4, 2016. PHOTO BY EDWIN BACASMAS
The “silence” of Philippine media organizations on the call of an international press group to boycott Rodrigo Duterte’s news briefings may have been one of the factors which pushed the president-elect to shun the media throughout the duration of his term, his spokesperson said on Wednesday.
READ: Duterte: No media interviews until the end of my term
In a Radyo Inquirer interview, incoming Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Salvador Panelo said that when Reporters Without Borders (RWB) issued the call to boycott Duterte, only one local news organization expressed their vehement opposition.
He said that the local media organizations’ “silence” on the call of the international press watchdog may have been interpreted by the firebrand mayor as a sign of agreement.
“Ang nangyari dito sa boycott, I was telling the media, na sabi kasi nila, ‘Sir, hindi naman kami kasama diyan sa boycott. Isa lang naman na grupo.’ Sabi ko naman, ‘the problem is, when this particular group issued the call for boycott, hindi kayo umimik. Wala kayong stand for or against it. There is only one media organization that said na hindi kami payag diyan. Lahat, other than that [media organization], walang imik. Ibig sabihin, payag din kayo. So pinagbigyan kayo ni Presidente kaya walang presscon’,” Panelo said.
(What happened in the boycott [issue], I was telling the media, as they said, ‘Sir, we are not included in boycott. There was only one group [which called for it]. I told them, ‘the problem is, when this particular group issued the call for boycott, you were silent about it. You didn’t say whether you stand for or against it. There is only one media organization that said they were against it. All, other than that [media organization], were silent about it. It means, you agree with it. So the president granted it that’s why he will not be holding press conferences anymore.)
The lawyer said that he initially thought that Duterte’s threat to shun the media would only be temporary.
“Akala ko nga parang ‘in the meanwhile’ aba eh ang sabi niya kahapon, ‘Hindi. Six years. Wala akong presscon sa inyo.’ Naku, naloko na. Lumala lalo,” he added.
(I thought it would only be ‘in the meanwhile’ but he said yesterday, ‘No. Six years. I won’t be holding presscon for you.’ Things got worse.)
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has earlier clarified that it was Reporters Without Borders that called for the boycott.
“For the record, it was the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders that issued the call, one that was, rightly, not heeded by the Philippine media,” said NUJP president Ryan Rosauro.
“The NUJP and other media organizations clearly said that to boycott the president-elect would be to abdicate our duties and responsibilities to inform the Filipino people,” Rosauro added.
READ: NUJP rejects call to boycott Duterte briefings
The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and the National Press Club have also echoed NUJP’s statement.
RWB issued the call after Duterte appeared to justify the killing of some journalists by tagging them as “corrupt.”
It said that Philippine media practitioners should not attend Duterte’s press briefings as a “sign of protest” until the president-elect issues a public apology.
However, the anti-establishment president was not cowed. Instead, he said: “Go ahead, boycott me. I’m urging you: Make this trip your last to Davao City. I do not care if no one is covering me.”
His camp then announced last June 3 that Duterte will not be holding press conferences anymore and all his statements will be coursed through the state-owned television network PTV-4. RAM