Reporting an attack: Inquirer stands up to DFA secretary

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s coverage of the attack against one of its reporters and its release of a statement of support for the journalist, as well as its drawing a line on the sand about verbal attacks on members of the press.

This is a welcome and warranted action as it departs from the Inquirer’s recent history of accommodating public officials who have taken offense at their coverage, on occasion apologizing for its report when there was no need for it. In contrast, Rappler has consistently reported the charges filed by the government against them, as well as the ban on their reporters from coverage of all presidential events.

Reporter Jhesset Enano, who was covering the ASEAN Summit meeting in Nonthaburi, Thailand, tweeted on November 4 that President Rodrigo Duterte was absent in the closing ceremonies of the summit. Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin, Jr., secretary of Foreign Affairs, tweeted back an expletive to Enano on November 5, pointing out that Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad were also absent.

Enano had earlier reported on Duterte’s absence in another event. She also tweeted that Ramon Lopez, secretary of Trade and Industry, represented Duterte in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit which was also held on November 4.

From November 6 to 8, the Inquirer published three stories on the issue, noting that there was no official explanation for Duterte’s absence in the RCEP Summit and the closing ceremonies.

The Inquirer reported that Locsin also tweeted an expletive at Marc Jason Cayabyab, a reporter for The Philippine Star, when Cayabyab reminded Locsin of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.

Journalists’ groups and women journalists who condemned Locsin’s use of foul language were also quoted in the Inquirer coverage.

In a statement in support of its reporter, the broadsheet said Locsin’s tweet “was unbecoming of a diplomat and public official, and totally undeserved by Enano, who was doing her job reporting on President Duterte at the Asean summit with the professionalism, focus and comprehensiveness that our readers deserve.”

The Inquirer maintained in its November 9 editorial that contrary to Locsin’s claims in another tweet, there was neither slant nor slander in Enano’s posts, only a straightforward account of the events.

The exchange should be seen in the context of President Duterte’s allegations in 2017 about how the owners of the Inquirer had taken advantage of the government-owned Mile Long property in Makati City. Duterte said Sunvar Realty Development Corporation, owned by the Rufino-Prieto family, failed to pay rental fees and continued occupying the property after the expiration of the lease agreement. The Prietos decided they would sell the media company to businessman Ramon Ang, a Duterte supporter, but the sale fell through.

In June 2018, Inquirer.net took down the opinion articles of Rodel Rodis in response to the request of Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who had just been elected Senate President. Rodis’ articles, which were published in 2014, implicated Senator Sotto in the alleged cover-up of the rape of the late 1980s actress Pepsi Paloma. Paloma accused Sotto’s brother, comedian Vic, and two others of the crime.

In September this year, the Inquirer also apologized to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo. Panelo demanded the apology when the Inquirer reported that he had recommended executive clemency for former Calauan mayor and rape-murder convict Antonio Sanchez. Panelo claimed he merely referred the issue to the proper agency and rejected Inquirer’s apology anyway, calling the story libelous.

Most media organizations are not inclined to report on the attacks against them and their journalists, saying they are negotiating these issues in private. This time, the Inquirer did the right thing by reporting on the incident involving its reporter, standing up to political intimidation and the harassment of one of its women journalists by a high official of the current regime.