Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 13) — President Rodrigo Duterte made several appeals to broadcast media practitioners during Wednesday’s induction of officers of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP).
The chief executive told media entities to “report the truth even if it destroys him.”
“Ako ang aking hinihingi is simply the truth [I am simply asking for the truth]. If the truth will destroy me, so be it… If the truth will — masisira ako [ruin me], that’s the price of being in public service.
The President also asked media people to continue reporting on the various issues such as water deals with Maynilad and Manila Water, while lauding the role of the country’s mass media in promoting awareness and spreading vital information.
This comes at the heels of a quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against TV network ABS-CBN, which is a member of the KBP.
While the President stayed silent on the franchise issue during the event, he did warn media from abusing broadcast privileges.
“While our Constitution upholds the freedom of the press, the function to broadcast is a privilege granted by the government. It is imbued with the best interest of the nation and our people. We will not tolerate any abuse of (this) privilege.
CNN Philippines’ Paolo Barcelon contributed to this report.
