MANILA – The Duterte administration continues to respect the freedom of speech and freedom of the press, Malacañang assured media workers in the country.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said over the weekend that media workers should not hesitate to report or write news articles whether it is in favor or against the Chief Executive.
“No single libel case has been filed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte against the political opposition. Media remains alert and vibrant in their reportage of the government and the actions of officials,” Roque pointed out.
He was responding to the July 3-6 poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), which showed that 51 percent of Filipinos believed that it is “dangerous” to print or broadcast “anything critical of the administration, even if it is the truth.”
Roque said the poll results were expected since the SWS asked the question before a House of Representatives panel decided not to grant ABS-CBN Corp. a fresh legislative franchise.
ABS-CBN ceased its broadcast operations on May 5, a day after the expiration of the network’s legislative franchise, following the National Telecommunications Commission’s cease and desist order.
“Surveys, as we often said, reflect the opinions of the respondents at the time the data were gathered,” Roque said. “This might have impressed upon the minds of the respondents who participated in the survey.”/PN
