Stands by President Duterte’s tirades vs ABSCBN, PDI, saying PDI “insinuates particular bias that leans toward malice”
(Eagle News) — Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Friday sought to allay fears Gina Lopez would no longer be appointed to lead the environmental department, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s verbal tirades against the Lopez-owned ABSCBN.
In a press conference in Malacanang, Abella said Duterte “will appoint” her “if he sees fit.”
“I think those are two separate matters..(Duterte) can be quite objective about these things. He is able to compartmentalize certain matters,” he said.
Abella also stood by the President’s tirades against the Philippine Daily Inquirer, following a statement of support for the newspaper by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.
NUJP Secretary General Debot Panelo had said Duterte’s “incoherent and foulmouthed rant against two of the country’s major media outfits — the (PDI) and ABS-CBN — was not only unwarranted,” but also “absolutely twisted.”
“Mawalang galang subalit napakalinaw na kayo po, at hindi sila, ang bastos,” he had said.
“Sir, your curses and your threats cannot and will not prevent us, the community of independent Filipino journalists, from fulfilling our duty to inform the people as best we can of what is happening to our country, whether you agree with what we report or not,” he had added in the statement.
Panelo was mum, however, about Duterte’s allegations of corruption in media.
“Insinuates particular bias that leans toward malice”
But according to Abella, PDI does “caricature certain situations.”
“For example, the way the war on drugs was framed (as if it was a) war versus the poor. It seems to imply (Duterte) is actually focusing on a particular class, which is hardly the point,” he said.
He noted that “the way..that particular media framed it insinuates the particular bias that leans toward malice.”
On Thursday, Duterte lashed out at PDI and ABSCBN, calling them “rude,” “vicious and virulent,” and “trash.”
Duterte referred to a story that said saw PDI saying that he had the poor killed.
The President did not say what story this was, but he could be referring to the one titled “Duterte to poor: I’m sorry if you die” that came out in the newspaper on March 26.
The President also said he would resign and “gladly step down” if “trash” reports about him having P200 million in his bank accounts, and his children being corrupt—were proven true.
