Reuters says it asked Palace about Davao Boys a week before story was published

Wire news agency Reuters on Thursday denied that it only gave Malacañang an hour to respond to its story on the Quezon City Police District's Davao Boys.

Read: How a secretive police squad racked up kills in Duterte’s drug war

In a statement, a Reuters spokesperson said that the news agency requested Malacañang's comment on the story a week before it was published.

"The claim that Reuters gave the president’s office just an hour to respond is untrue. Reuters sent questions to the president’s office a week before the story was published and the president’s office confirmed it had received them," the statement read.

"Reuters followed that up with phone calls and emails, but the president’s office never responded to our questions," it added.

Roque earlier accused Reuters of "bad journalism" for publishing the story without the government's side. He said that Reuters did not wait for his side, even though he informed the news agency that he had a press briefing.

In a separate statement, Presidential Communications Group Asst. Secretary Rachel Queenie Rodulfo denounced Reuters' claim that the "President’s office never responded to our questions," calling the statement "untrue in so many levels."

" While it is correct that Reuters sent the Office an email mid-last week questions regarding the Davao police, we have to bear in mind that there are more pressing matters that the Office has to attend to, such as explaining/discussing to our people the preparation our frontline agencies are doing for the coming typhoon (Urduja), among others," she said.

"In the thick of things, the Office was able to find time in responding to Reuters’ questionnaire.  However, the main concern of that particular Reuters’ story, which is, the re-assignment of Davao policemen in other parts of the country, such as Metro Manila, needs time to be vetted," she added.

Rodulfo said the issue was "parochial" in scope and "not the usual "national" issues that our Office can easily respond too."

She admitted receiving a phone call from the writer, Clare Baldwin, and that this was made during a trip to Biliran - the province hardest hit by Typhoon Urduja.

 "I told her to just give me a day, just a day, to send her the vetted answers," said Rodulfo.

The Reuters Special Report entitled "How a secretive police squad racked up kills in Duterte’s drug war," was posted  last Monday, Dec. 19.

"As a former media practitioner, I find this very disturbing. I know that a journalist has deadlines but in the interest of fair play, the other side must likewise be considerate in getting their interviewee’s side, given the abovementioned situation and considering the status of my principal," Rodulfo said.

"Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque is the alter-ego of the President. His statements carry the same weight as the statements of the President of the Republic. His official views, as they say, are views of the Palace," she added.

Rodulfo then questioned the motive of the writers, saying "we do not see the reason why Ms. Baldwin has to hurry at the expense of getting a verified story.  There is now a quandary on her motive:  Is it to arrive at the truth? Or is it simply to embarrass the Administration? You don’t threat the government and put pressure to a government office if a request is not readily answered."

"There is nothing to hide. I have even challenged Ms. Baldwin to record our conversation to see how our conversation with her transpired.   I find Ms. Baldwin’s one-sided conduct unbecoming of a journalist," the official said. — BM/BAP, GMA News