MANILA, Philippines — Hours before President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his penultimate State of the Nation Address, journalists seeking authorization to cover the event have yet to hear from the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
As it is, Philippine and foreign media can only rely on state-run coverage of Duterte’s SONA, which he will deliver amid growing dissent following his approval of the anti-terrorism law and shutdown of media giant ABS-CBN.
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Freedom for Media, Freedom for All Network Network — alliance of media watchdogs and groups — on Monday morning said that neither the PCOO nor the Inter-Agency Task Force responded to their request to allow a delegation of independent media to cover Duterte’s 5th SONA.
“Given how recent events have cast doubt on the integrity and credibility of state media, we would like to sound you off on the possibility of broadcast and online outfits hooking up to the [Radio Television Malacañang] feed but airing on a slightly delayed basis,” FMFA said in a statement.
The PCOO last week announced that only state run Presidential Broadcast Staff-RTVM will be allowed inside the Batasang Pambansa. This is among the government’s health and safety measures against the coronavirus.
The presidential communications said journalists can “hook up to the live feed of PTV or live stream of the Presidential Communications and RTVM Facebook pages and RTVM Youtube channel.”
'SONA coverage should not be limited to state media'
FMFA wrote to Communications Secretary Martin Andanar and Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez, Jr., also chief implementer of the National Action Plan against COVID-19, last week.
“We submit that, out of respect for press freedom and the people’s right to know, the SONA is too important an event in the national life to limit coverage to state media,” their letter, signed by media representatives, read.
This comes after the PCOO aired an edited and clipped speech of the president where he bragged about “dismantling the oligarchy” without declaring martial law.
Ten minutes of the speech, which was given just days after the president's allies at the House panel on legislative franchises voted overwhelmingly to deny ABS-CBN a new franchise, was cut so as to remove any mention of the network made by the president.
FMFA noted that the independent media have shown that they are capable of protecting themselves from the coronavirus. The venue of the event, the House of the Representatives, is also big enough to accommodate a delegation.
“We, therefore, propose that an open draw be undertaken, participated in by all interested organizations, for an independent media pool to cover the SONA composed of one representative each from TV, radio, print, online, the foreign press and photojournalists,” FMFA said.
Media watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility’s Executive Director Melinda De Jesus last week warned this move leaves news outlets to be “completely dependent” on coverage choices of state-run media.
"As far as credibility, [we need to ask], what is the truth of anything that comes out of their communications office in Malacañang? Why are we spending so much money when we don't even, or cannot, trust the information that the government provides?" she said. — Kristine Joy Patag with reports from Bella Perez-Rubio