Duterte campaign spokesman: Statement on media killings taken out of context

MANILA, Philippines – The campaign spokesperson and transition team member of president-elect Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte, Peter Laviña, on Wednesday afternoon took to Facebook and defended the president-elect against criticisms over his statement on media killings.

Laviña said the president was “again, and as usual, taken out of context, misinterpreted and misunderstood.” He explained that the Duterte has no personal knowledge on the media killings across the country and was only speaking based on his assessment in Davao City.

He said some journalists risk being killed due to corrupt practices and partisanship and not because they are members of the media.  

“When Duterte said members of the media become vulnerable to killings, it was not because they are members of the media anymore but because they have become partisan propagandists, deliberately using their media outlets in attacking or defending one party or another and collecting largesse on both,” Laviña said.

“In the context of Duterte's campaign against corruption, his remarks indeed should be seen to mean a reminder or a message that there is also corruption in mass media. And he has seen this during the recent election when headlines, for instance, were being bumped off to give way to paid black propaganda masquerading as news items. Hence, he said 'you really want the truth? well, that's the truth',” he said.

According to Laviña, Duterte earlier stated he would “create a Task Force to address media killings and asked for a special prosecutor to focus on these cases” which he also repeated when he joined the members of the National Press Club in visiting the wake of recent reporter killed, Alex Balcoba, last Monday night.

Meanwhile, Laviña also lamented that the national and international media “lapped on the issue of media killings” instead of the expected headlines on the new Cabinet members of the incoming administration and the “declaration of war against red tape and unnecessary fees imposed on hapless citizens.”

Media outlets also covered the announcement of the prospective members of Duterte's Cabinet, the primary reason that reporters were at the so-called Malacañang of the South on Tuesday.