DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines advised President Rodrigo Duterte “to step back across the line” after he publicly threatened to close media networks and to go after the Philippine Daily Inquirer which he perceived to be critical to his administration.
“President Rodrigo Duterte would be well advised to step back across the line he crossed on Wednesday, April 27, 2017 when he threatened to personally block the renewal by Congress of broadcast network ABS-CBN’s franchise, and to go after the Philippine Daily Inquirer,” NUJP said in a statement on Friday, April 28.
The media watchdog said that while the President “cursed” earlier both the media outfits for being biased, “this is the first time he has openly threatened to shut down a media organization by using alleged offenses that have nothing to do with journalism.”
In an interview with the media on Thursday, Duterte threatened to block the franchise renewal of the Lopez-owned television network giant ABS-CBN in 2020.
He accused the television network of “swindling” because it did not air a political advertisement that his political party already paid for. The President also said that he would go after the Mile Long leased property in Makati of the Prieto family, owner of the Inquirer Group of Companies.
“By issuing such threats, Mr. Duterte is blatantly dangling the powers of the presidency and of the state, signaling his willingness to use these to stifle freedom of the press and of expression,” the NUJP said.
“And no, lest his mouthpieces attempt to excuse him by invoking hyperbole or his peculiar sense of humor, he was clearly not joking. Just as he was not joking when he declared human rights and due process anathema to his brand of governance and now, it seems, so are a free and critical media,” the group added.
The NUJP urged the media organizations to “set aside our differences and unite to oppose any and all attempts to silence us.”
“Not to do so is to seal our doom and to betray our role as the Fourth Estate, the people’s watchdogs against bad and abusive governance,” the NUJP said. (davaotoday.com)
