Rody as media freedom predator ‘bereft of merit’

Part and parcel of media groups is to advocate for freer media, but it is baseless to call the President a predator of press freedom

Malacañang on Tuesday slammed President Rodrigo Duterte’s inclusion in this year’s “press freedom predators” list of a global media watchdog,

saying the tag was “absolutely bereft of merit”.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders included Duterte in the list of 37 world leaders noted for attacking press freedom by “creating a censorship apparatus, jailing journalists arbitrarily or inciting violence against them”.

“That’s absolutely bereft of merit,” presidential spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque said, describing the watchdog’s list.

He maintained that freedom of the press is “well and alive” in the Philippines, saying the President neither jailed nor filed a libel case against journalists or media organizations critical of the administration.

The Palace official also noted that news reports critical of Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs were cited by retired International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on her preliminary examination of the government’s anti-narcotics drive.

“That proves freedom of the press is alive and well in the Philippines,” Roque said.

“Part and parcel of media groups is to advocate for freer media, but it is baseless to call the President a ‘predator of press freedom,’” he added.

Reporters Without Borders said Duterte’s inclusion in the list was based on his actions which purportedly waged a “total war” against local independent media.

The group also pointed out what it said was “collusion at all levels within the state apparatus” in the Philippines, which afforded the President an “arsenal that he can use to wage ‘total war’ against journalists”.

“The executive has enormous power centered on the President. Judges who don’t toe the line are pushed aside. Congress tamely endorses all the President’s decisions,” its report read.

“Backed by most of the private sector, Duterte easily imposes his line on media outlets owned by businessmen that support him. Independent media outlets have assumed the role of opposition, with all the risks that this entails,” the group added.

While the Palace has repeatedly portrayed the President as a champion of press freedom for signing an executive order to enable the Freedom of Information mechanisms, as well as for forming a task force to probe media killings, he earned a notorious reputation abroad for assailing media outfits for their critical reportage of his programs.

News reports critical of Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs were cited by retired International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on her preliminary examination of the government’s anti-narcotics drive.

More than a third of the heads of state in the list are from the Asia-Pacific region, including China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam.

They were also joined by Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Bin Salman.

Earlier, the Philippines slipped two notches in the watchdog’s World Press Freedom Index for this year after it ranked from 136th spot to 138th out of 180 countries.