DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) denounced Vice President Sara Duterte for employing authoritarian tactics to discredit independent media after she criticized Philippine journalism during a speech to Filipino supporters.
“Sara is unleashing one of the tactics straight out of a dictator’s playbook: controlling information by demonizing the independent press and weaponizing social media for her propaganda,” the union said in a statement.
Duterte told supporters in The Hague on July 30 that Philippine journalism lags far behind international standards.
“If you look at international media, how they present news, how they look for things or activities or events to report, the quality of journalism in other countries is so far from ours here in the Philippines,” she said in Filipino.
The vice president’s comments came after news organizations reported on her statement that she could hire a gunman for 5,000 pesos if another woman were romantically involved with her husband.
Duterte added that if Philippine journalism remained at its current level, “the country will not truly progress.” She praised social media as a platform where people could directly see the truth.
The NUJP rejected Duterte’s characterization, pointing to international recognition Filipino journalists have received.
The group acknowledged newsrooms sometimes make mistakes but called it “outrageous for the vice president to generalize and insult the work of many brave and honest journalists in the Philippines who stand firm in their commitment to report on the truth despite threats to their lives and safety.”
The organization also challenged Duterte’s portrayal of social media as a source of truth, noting online platforms have long been used to spread misinformation.
Duterte’s remarks continue a pattern of public criticism of the media by the Duterte family.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte repeatedly attacked news organizations during his term, most notably ABS-CBN, whose franchise renewal Congress rejected in 2020. His administration also pursued cases against Rappler and its CEO Maria Ressa, several later dismissed or overturned.
The Philippines became Asia’s deadliest country for journalists during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Danilo Arao, a journalism professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, said the vice president’s comments reflect a misunderstanding of news literacy.
Arao questioned her preference for appearing before vloggers instead of professional journalists.
“Her decision not to be interviewed by professional journalists is highly unusual for a high-ranking government official (and a Vice President at that),” Arao wrote.
Duterte’s remarks also come amid fact-checking reports documenting how social media has become a major arena for political messaging in the Philippines.
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism has documented pro-Duterte Facebook pages, influencers and online personalities that amplified favorable narratives while attacking journalists and opposition figures. (davaotoday.com)
