Duterte's remarks justifying killing
of corrupt journalists spark outrage

The comments made by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on justifying the killing of journalists who took bribes or engaged in other corrupt activities draw international media outrage with calls for newsmen to boycott his press conferences until he issues a formal, public apology.

Reporters Without Borders, June 1: "RSF is outraged by Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s comment that corrupt journalists are legitimate murder targets and urges the Philippine media to boycott his press conferences until he issues a formal, public apology. RSF also calls for legal action against Duterte."

“Not only are these statements unworthy of a president but they could also be regarded as violations of the law on defamation or even the law on inciting hatred and violence,” said Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.

“Duterte should nonetheless be pleased by the existence of these laws because without them he would also be exposed to violent repercussions, according to his own words. We urge organizations that represent the media to not overlook comments of this kind and to bring lawsuits. We also urge the media to boycott the Duterte administration’s news conferences until the media community gets a public apology,” said Ismael.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also condemned Duterte’s remarks.

“What he has done with these irresponsible comments is give security officials the right to kill for acts that they consider defamation,” its south-east Asia representative, Shawn Crispin, said from Bangkok.

“This is one of the most outrageous statements we have ever heard from a president in the Philippines.”

On Tuesday, Duterte made his comments about journalists at the news conference he gave in the southern city of Davao to announce his future cabinet.

Reporters asked on what he would do to combat impunity for crimes of violence against journalists, Duterte replied: “Just because you're a journalist you are not exempted from assassination, if you're a son of a bitch."

Freedom of expression won’t save you,” he added. “The Constitution cannot help you kapag binaboy mo ang isang tao (if you pigged a man).”

Referring to corrupt journalists, he said: “Most of those killed, to be frank, have done something. You won't be killed if you don't do anything wrong,” He also said that people who defame are not protected by the constitution from violent repercussions.

He raised the case of Jun Pala, a journalist, politician and vocal critic of Duterte, who was murdered in Davao in 2003. His murder has never been solved.

“If you are an upright journalist, nothing will happen to you,” said Duterte, who has ruled Davao as mayor for most of the past two decades and has been accused of links to vigilante death squads.

“The example here is Pala. I do not want to diminish his memory but he was a rotten son of a bitch. He deserved it.”

Duterte, a long-serving mayor of the southern city of Davao, was elected president in a landslide on May 9.

He campaigned on an anti-crime platform that threatened to summarily kill suspected criminals without due process of law.

The tough-talking politician has been linked in news reports to the killing by death squad of as many as 1,400 suspected criminals in Davao during his mayorship.


Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Wednesday described Duterte's comments as “appalling”. It conceded there were corruption problems in the industry but said these did not justify murdering reporters.

“He (Duterte) has also, in effect, declared open season to silence the media, both individual journalists and the institution, on the mere perception of corruption," it said.

"Mr. Duterte’s crass pronouncement not only sullies the names and memories of all 176 of our colleagues who have been murdered since 1986, he has also, in effect, declared open season to silence the media, both individual journalists and the institution, on the mere perception of corruption.

Duterte has named Salvador Panelo, the former defense lawyer for the Ampatuans who argued they were innocent, as his presidential spokesman, a nomination criticized by the victims’ families and journalists’ organisations.

He vowed during the election campaign that he could wipe out crime across the country within the first six months of presidency, a seemingly impossible task that he said he could achieve by killing tens of thousands of criminals.

"The NUJP does not gloss over the fact that corruption is among the most pressing problems faced by the media. Nor do we deny that this could be the reason for a number of media killings. However, it is one thing to recognize a possible reason for murder; it is a totally different thing to present this as a justification for taking life.

Admittedly, this would not be the first time the perceived corruption of the media has been bandied as a justification for the murder of journalists. And Mr. Duterte tries to explain his thesis by claiming assassination is retribution from private individuals unjustly pilloried by errant journalists.

He could not be further from the truth. While there may be instances where private individuals may have sought revenge against journalists for soiling their reputations, the data shows that, of the handful of media killings that have actually made it to the courts, the accused are invariably from government – elected officials, government executives or members of the security services – and invariably accused of corruption.

Let us just cite a few of the more prominent cases – the murders of Edgar Damalerio of Pagadian City, Marlene Esperat of Tacurong City, and Gerry Ortega of Puerto Princesa City, and, of course, the most heinous of all, the November 23, 2009 Ampatuan massacre, of which 32 of the 58 victims were media workers, making it not only the worst case of electoral violence in recent Philippine history but the single deadliest attack on journalists ever.

We wonder if the President-elect is willing to face the orphans and widows of the victims of these killings and tell them, “They were killed because they were corrupt. As we have pointed out before, leadership, or even its mere semblance, carries weight and what leaders say, right or wrong, seriously or in jest, will resound with their followers. Thus, even if this be jest, and we see no reason to believe this was the case, your words may well be interpreted as marching order by those with an axe to grind against a critical press.

In all honesty, Mr. President-elect, we were hopeful, following pronouncements by your spokesperson that you would push the enactment of the Freedom of Information (FOI) law and would constitute a special task force to investigate media killings, that we were on the cusp of a new era when freedom of the press and of expression would be respected, defended and promoted beyond lip service.

Alas, it seems we were wrong. Or are we to be again treated to the excuse that it was all a joke and we need to be more discerning about your pronouncements? Murder is no joke. Neither is press freedom. Be that as it may, the independent Philippine media will not be cowed from fulfilling its duty to act as the people’s watchdog," said Ryan Rosuaro, NUJP chair.

Luis Teodoro, the deputy director of the Manila-based Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility, said Duterte’s comments sent a signal to would-be killers that it was OK to murder in certain circumstances.

“When you say corrupt journalists can be killed, that is a very clear message,” Teodoro said.

Since a chaotic and corruption-plagued democracy replaced the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos three decades ago, 176 journalists have been murdered in the Philippines.

The Philippines being one of the world’s ten deadliest countries for media personnel. In 2009, 32 journalists were among 58 people killed by a warlord clan intent on stopping a rival’s election challenge. More than 100 people are on trial for the massacre, including many members of the Ampatuan family accused of orchestrating it.

The Philippines ranks fourth on CPJ's Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are murdered and the killers go free.