Philippine union slams Duterte for ‘attack’ on media

By Roy Ramos

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (AA) - A Philippine journalists union has described President Rodrigo Duterte as exhibiting the “mindset of a petty tyrant” after a speech in which he criticized local media of “garbage reporting”.

"It is a mindset of the petty tyrant who mistakenly believes public office is an entitlement that allows you to flaunt the laws of the land that both grant you power and ensure the checks that prevent you from abusing that power," the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement Friday.

The statement was in response to an expletive-laden speech Thursday in which Duterte cursed at “oligarchs” who own media agencies and accused two organizations of twisting his words after their “preferred candidate” lost the May 2016 presidential election.

Saying that he acknowledged the media's “adversarial” role toward the government, Duterte added, "don't go over the line."

"It was a brazen abuse of your immense power as chief executive of this land and only shows how little, if any, appreciation you have of democracy and governance," the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s executive editor, Jose Ma. Nolasco, responded to Duterte’s comments by stressing that since its founding in 1985, the paper has always aimed for “accuracy, fairness and balance in its reporting”.

Duterte’s comments on the media had drawn flak even before he took office June 30 last year, including remarks claiming some slain journalists had received payoffs or were involved in shady deals in the Philippines -- ranked among the deadliest countries for media.

The outspoken politician had responded to both local and international condemnation of his comments by saying he would temporarily boycott media interviews to avoid further criticism and wrong statements.