Duterte to media: You can criticize me as long as it’s true

MANILA, Philippines - I’m not mad at you.

President Duterte yesterday told media to criticize him over his mistakes.

“Do not hesitate to attack or criticize me if I do wrong in my job. It is your duty,” Duterte told the media during a briefing upon his arrival at the Davao International Airport from a five-day trip abroad.

Duterte said he is not mad at the media for reporting the incident between him and US President Barack Obama during the recent ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in Vientiane, Laos.

Obama scrapped their bilateral talks following Duterte’s controversial remarks.

“I am not at liberty to be angry with anybody. It is your sworn duty to ask questions. I am not mad at you,” he said.

Duterte said he perfectly understands the job of a journalist, stressing the important role of media in society.

“The media has an important role in recording the history of the country,” he said.

Duterte also cited the case of broadcaster Ed Lingao, who earlier mistakenly read a news item that the President called Obama a ‘son of a whore’ during a pre-departure press conference last Monday before he left for Vientiane. 

The President also made mention of Lingao’s case during the gathering of the Filipino community in Jakarta last Friday.

Duterte said he had already accepted Lingao’s apology, especially since the broadcaster had already apologized to him in public. 

He said he believes Lingao committed the error without malice. 

But Duterte pointed out how certain sectors, including the media, had the tendency to twist stories, particularly quoting him out of context.

He said that most of the time, the opposite of what he said or a completely different story comes out in the media.

Duterte had a falling out with media earlier in his administration after international media groups called for a boycott of his press conferences.

Duterte initially clammed up but eventually toned down and gradually began to give media interviews and press conferences earlier last month.