This Week in Media (February 14 to 18, 2022)

Controversial decisions, rules hound Comelec

AS CANDIDATES draw media attention to their campaign, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has also attracted its share of news coverage, much of them negative. 

Last week, the commission’s First Division released its ruling that junked three consolidated petitions seeking to disqualify presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. The decision quickly provoked a major backlash on social media; some news platforms carried reactions and questions from lawyers and academics, who not only criticized the decision for being confusing but also for the message it delivered to ordinary tax payers: It’s okay not to file income tax returns! CMFR cheered the reports that included the critical views.

Defending the decision, Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said it was being taken out of context. So far, the media have not presented anyone outside of Comelec who agrees with the decision. Coverage, however, should have reviewed with greater detail what Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was charged with and convicted for by the Quezon City RTC Branch 105 in 1995.

---

Comelec on campaign rules 

Further fueling public doubt about Comelec’s integrity and independence is the removal of oversized campaign materials of presidential candidate Leni Robredo from privately-owned areas. Photos and footage of the removal were posted on social media. The removal is part of Comelec’s “Oplan Baklas,” but the supporters decried the action of police and election officers, saying they were not given notice of removal as required by Comelec’s own resolution. So far, news accounts have not picked up on any complaints of campaign material removal from the supporters of other presidential candidates.

Media carried the reactions of concerned groups and lawyers who said confiscating campaign materials posted in private property impinges on free speech. Comelec said anyone who has concerns about “Oplan Baklas” is encouraged to file a complaint, an answer which did not address Comelec’s non-compliance with its own order. Media should have checked whether “Oplan Baklas” will be enforced without fear or favor for one or another candidate.   

---

Complaints on health-based restrictions 

Rules and regulations involving health and safety protocols have provoked complaints from candidates. Acting Comelec chief Socorro Inting told the media the Comelec was open to a review of the restrictions, which candidates and those attending the rallies have failed to observe.

Media have been reporting the complaints as well, taking note of some candidates’ non-compliance with rules on the campaign trail. The issue places the Comelec in the middle with very little room to maneuver. The campaign is a highly interactive affair but the continuing threat of COVID-19 has not disappeared, despite the declining number of cases. 

Editorials by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Philippine Star noted the obligation of candidates to ensure observance of safety protocols. The Inquirer raised a valid question: “Will the Comelec, already beset by internal problems, rise to the occasion and prove that it can be counted on to enforce the very basic rules required of our times?”

---

Quiboloy in the news

This week, media reported that all presidential candidates, except Marcos, Jr., will participate in the February 27 presidential debate organized by CNN Philippines. Marcos, Jr.’s selectivity in granting media invitations continues to be a news subject for journalists. But journalists have neither tried to expose the real reasons for his selectivity, neither have they asked him to explain why he was available for a debate set up by Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), which is headed by a wanted man. 

The debate was held in Okada Manila on February 15. SMNI is the broadcasting arm of Kingdom of Jesus Christ church led by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, a known ally and acknowledged “spiritual adviser” of President Duterte. Only two weeks ago, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation released a wanted notice for Quiboloy for sex trafficking activities conducted through his church. This context was largely ignored by most accounts reporting the event. In reporting other candidates’ reasons for not participating, media quoted Pacquiao who was the only one who referred to Quiboloy as “a man wanted for detestable crimes.”   

The social media accounts of news sites, including that of Philstar.com, Inquirer and Rappler quickly fact-checked SMNI’s identification of Marcos, Jr. as an economist. In broadcast, TV5 and ONE News also carried this correction, saying that Marcos Jr. did not finish his degree program in Oxford University. 

Both TV5 and ONE News also corrected Marcos, Jr.’s claim in the debate that this election season is the first time that the West Philippine Sea issue is being raised. The reports recalled that it was a subject in the 2016 presidential debates. Both accounts also cited the observation by UP professor Aries Arugay that SMNI’s bias for Marcos, Jr. was obvious, as the political ads airing during the commercial breaks were for senators in his slate. 

---

On other issues hounding Marcos

Following through with the SMNI debate, a report by news.ABS-CBN.com recalled Marcos. Jr.’s flip-flopping on the issue of releasing SALNs to the public, as the candidate has been switching his position on whether he will release his own. 

Meanwhile, CMFR cheered Bulatlat and Rappler for articles that moved away from candidates and involved the reality of workers, which opened up when Senator Imee Marcos, sister of Marcos, Jr., made fun of Leni Robredo, questioning the credibility of her working 18 hours a day. 

---

Other issues in the news

Like the usual coverage of events abroad, Philippine media’s reportage on the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has so far focused on the welfare of overseas Filipino workers in the area. Reports by TV Patrol and Saksi, however, pointed to the crisis as a factor in the rising price of oil and fuel products, given that Russia is a top oil producer. Saksi added that the increase in oil costs translates to an increase in the prices of basic commodities.

Meanwhile, media have sidelined the Supreme Court’s publication of the full decision on the Anti-Terrorism Act, and the separate opinions of the justices. While the decision was announced in December, it has taken this long for the Supreme Court to release the full text. Journalists did not ask about the delay in releasing the text, and only Rappler examined the dissenting opinions on contentious provisions on warrantless arrests and the reckless designation of individuals and groups as terrorists.