Sen. Francis Pangillinan. (Photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Many presidents have had their share of squaring off with the media, and yet the press is still here.
This was Senator Francis Pangilinan’s gentle reminder to President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, a day after the latter attacked certain media entities for their supposed “slanted” reports.
“Ang ating demokrasya at kalayaan ay mas higit na tumitibay kapag nariyan ang malayang pamamahayag. Maaring hindi sanay ang Pangulo sa mga batikos mula sa media dahil sa kanyang karanasan bilang Mayor ng Davao ng halos tatlong dekada ngunit iba ang usapan kapag buong bansa na ang ginagalawan niya,” Pangilinan said in a text message.
(Our democracy and freedom get stronger when there is free press. The President may not be used to criticism from the media because of his experience as Mayor of Davao for almost three decades but it’s very different if he’s dealing with the whole country.)
“Our individual freedoms and our democracy are better served by a free and critical press,” he said.
The senator said it is part of democracy for Presidents to be at the “receiving end of a critical press.”
“Many presidents before have had their share of squaring off with the press. All these presidents are gone and yet the press is still here,” said Pangilinan, a member of the Senate minority bloc and president of the Liberal Party.
“All these Presidents have since left Malacañang but the Press is still very much around,” he said.
In expletive-laden speeches on Thursday, Duterte accused the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN of being rude, corrupt, and unfair in their reports about him.
“Talagang mga walanghiya ang mga p*****inang journalista na ‘yan (These son-of-a-b***h journalists have no shame),” he said of the Inquirer.
“I will tell you: They really have no shame, including ABS-CBN,” the President added. JE/rga
READ: Inquirer reacts to Duterte’s accusation of ‘slanted’ reports
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