Reportage on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit resulted in Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. sending expletives to two reporters. The UP Journalism Club believes this constitutes harassment and serves to perpetuate a culture of antagonism and hostility against members of the free press.
On Nov. 5, 2019, Philippine Daily Inquirer journalist Jhesset Enano tweeted a photo that showed Locsin sitting in for President Rodrigo Duterte during the summit’s closing ceremony. It had the caption: “LOOK: Foreign affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. @teddyboylocsin sits with other world leaders at the closing ceremony of the 35th Asean Summit in Thailand. President Duterte appears to have skipped this event too.”
Locsin replied with “Uh, did you get the p***i** I sent you? That’s the last event, purely ceremonial and short. Jokowi had left, Mahathir too.” He later tweeted that he will apologize to Enano only if she apologizes for slandering the president and Inquirer promises not to slant stories about him.
Two days later, Locsin tweeted “f**k you” to Philippine Star journalist Marc Jayson Cayabyab, who quoted an excerpt on professionalism from the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713).
Both Enano and Cayabyab acted well within their rights of free speech and the press, and their primary duty to report the truth as journalists. Enano sought the truth and reported it. Her tweet reflected facts, without any intent of slighting public officials in question. Indeed, the president was absent during the ASEAN summit’s closing ceremony.
Even the resulting public criticism on concerned officials is a constitutionally protected right, the right of citizens to hold power to account. Secretary Locsin’s tone and use of expletives does not display the courtesy expected of public officials. Cayabyab rightly called him out, for such behavior from a high government official legitimizes animosity towards the press. Journalists should not be met with harassment for producing reportage that only generates public discourse. Such attacks, more often left unchecked, worsen the already hostile media environment.
Within the past month, a broadcaster was gunned down in Dumaguete and more than 50 people were arrested after simultaneous raids of activists’ offices – including a journalist from a community media outfit. Reporters continue to suffer libel charges, hate comments and red-tagging. The country approaches the tenth year commemoration of the Ampatuan Massacre, still without convictions.
The Philippine press operates within a culture of violence that normalizes hostility towards the critical. Those in power employ brute force, intimidation, legal charges, and manipulation of public opinion to discredit sincere journalistic efforts to report the truth.
The UP Journalism Club condemns Locsin’s behavior and stands in solidarity with all media practitioners who continue to uphold professional and ethical journalism. In these trying times of political contestation, we call on the public to stay critical and steadfast in the defense of the truth and those who report it.
Disclaimer: Jhesset Enano was a member of the UP Journalism Club from 2012 to 2015.
