PRESS FREEDOM DAY | Foreign correspondents decry attacks vs. journalists covering Marcos campaign

May 3, 2022 , 08:14 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(May 3, 2022) – The Manila-based foreign correspondents’ club on Tuesday expressed “grave concern” on attacks faced by journalists covering the presidential bid of the late dictator’s son and namesake this year.

The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), a group formed during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos to advocate for press freedom, decried the numerous instances of harassment hurled by allies and supporters of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against journalists covering his campaign.

“FOCAP will not stand idly by when its members and local colleagues face intimidation and unreasonable restraints,” the group said in a statement coinciding with the World Press Freedom day.

“It was founded in the dark days of martial law in 1974 to safeguard press freedom from threats that have never ceased to this day.”

“FOCAP expresses grave concern over online attacks vs some of our members by supporters of presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. & the alarming difficulty we have faced in getting his clear, coherent and substantial explanations on issues imbued w/ public & nat’l interest.” pic.twitter.com/sx0XObdi9M

— FOCAP (@FOCAP2020) May 3, 2022

Regine Cabato, a correspondent of Washington Post, was recently flooded by online trolls on social media after publishing an article on the disinformation that has attempted to rehabilitate the image of the Marcoses.

BBC’s Howard Johnson also received a death threat among a barrage of online abuses after he was shown in the video asking Marcos Jr. how he would be a “good president” without allowing serious interviews. Marcos Jr., in that video, was shown laughing in response as he left.

Earlier, senatorial candidate and Marcos ally Larry Gadon hurled vulgar remarks at Raissa Robles of the South China Morning Post after she commented on Marcos Jr’s tax conviction.

Journalists following Marcos Jr.’s campaign trail have also found the late dictator’s son to be notoriously difficult to reach out for interviews. In some instances, they have been shoved by his security detail while trying to cover him.

He has also been absent in all presidential debates and forums by major news organizations, except for one organized by SMNI, a media company owned by pastor Apollo Quiboloy, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte.

FOCAP noted that Marcos Jr. has not appeared in a single “free-flowing, open, and uncensored” press conference in his entire presidential campaign.

“All these restrictive actions undermine a critical and free press in an Asian bulwark of democracy and have sparked fears of how independent media would be treated under another possible Marcos presidency,” FOCAP said.

Last week, Marcos claimed that he’s not actually difficult to approach for an ambush interview, adding that he was willing to face the press if he is elected president next week.

Vergel Santos, a trustee of media watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, was baffled why he would deny a fact as obvious as him wanting the media to be away from him, which he posited was because he did not want to take a disadvantageous answer.

(MM)

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