NUJP hits Aquino for blaming media in Japan speech

The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) on Thursday criticized President Benigno Aquino III for his comments during a speech in Japan last week on the Philippine media’s supposed undue emphasis on bad news over good news in the country. NUJP director Rowena Paraan said that Aquino’s comments “had no basis" and may sour the President’s relationship with the media. “These [comments] will not help in the relationship between the media and Malacañang, lalo na kung ang labo-labo naman ng basis [especially if the basis is too vague]," she said in a forum in Quezon City on Wednesday. Paraan was referring to statements Aquino made in a speech in Yokohama while making the rounds of Filipino expatriate communities, where he said that Filipinos in Japan “don’t get all the news about what’s happening" in the Philippines due to media’s preference for bad news. Aquino had made the remark while speaking to some 1,000 Filipinos at the Futuba school auditorium in Yokohama on Sunday, according to news reports. The NUJP official said the President should not blame the media, since it is the government which creates the issues which journalists report. Outgoing ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Division chief Maria Ressa meanwhile described Aquino’s move as “passive-aggressive." “It is disappointing. I hope something will change," she said in the same forum. Ressa likewise said that the President can be defensive, but not to the extent of blaming the media for doing its job. “In any country, the person-in-charge will always be criticized. It is up to him or her leadership how he or she will deal with this and present solutions," she said. ‘Go beyond the remarks’ Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. meanwhile defended Aquino, saying that the President was only being “open" about how he feels. “The President speaks with candor. Hindi siya plastic [He doesn’t pretend]. He does not make cryptic remarks just to avoid displeasing people," Coloma said in the same forum. Coloma, a former newspaper columnist, also urged the media to “go beyond the remarks" and focus on the “overall climate of transparency" in the Aquino government. “I don’t think these remarks will alter the fundamental principle of his government in promoting openness and transparency—the best climate where freedom of the press can thrive," he said.—JV, GMANews.TV