Like father, like son: Paolo Duterte to avoid media, too

President-elect Rodrigo Roa Duterte arrives at the Rizal Hall of Malacañan Palace, where the inaugural ceremony will take place, together with his children Paolo, Sara, Sebastian and Veronika. RTVM PHOTO

DAVAO CITY—As far as the Duterte family’s icy relationship with the media is concerned, change is not coming.

Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte said on Friday that he intends to keep avoiding the media during the whole duration of his father’s term as President.

“That is my plan,” was the presidential son’s response when asked if he is prepared to keep their family’s “hide and seek” strategy with the media.

While media coverage is not foreign to them, the younger Duterte said that their actions will be scrutinized in an entirely new level as they are now the country’s first family.

READ: Duterte and the media

“Being a Duterte, not only our jobs as government officials but also our actions will be under the scrutiny of the media. Kaya umiiwas kami sa media (That is why we’re avoiding the media),” Duterte said, smiling.

A reporter then asked him: “You know [the media] can’t be avoided, right?”

“I actually did this morning,” the city vice mayor jested. He then narrated how he was able to avoid the media when he arrived in this city Friday from his father’s inauguration in Manila.

Paolo’s father, President Rodrigo Duterte, first started shunning the media after  international press group “Reporters Without Borders” called their Filipino counterparts to boycott the President after his controversial remarks against journalists.

READ: Duterte to media: That’s it, no interviews in my term

The firebrand Duterte earlier said in one of his late night briefings that some journalists deserved to be killed because they are corrupt. He also wolf-whistled a married female reporter who was asking him a question.

Then on June 3, Presidential Management Staff chief Bong Go said that the President will not hold any press conferences to avoid blunders.

Since then, the media have been barred from entering the “Malacanang of the South” in Panacan and on Thursday, only state-owned television PTV4 was allowed inside the Malacañang Palace for his inauguration. IDL/rga