Andanar: Accreditation open to anti, pro-Duterte bloggers

Social media practitioners, critical or supportive of President Rodrigo Duterte, can apply for accreditation to cover the chief executive's events, a Malacañang official said Saturday. 

But in an interview on dzBB, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar clarified that "Bloggers or the social media practitioners are given accreditation not as journalist, not as members of mainstream media and not as Malacañang Press Corps (MPC)."

They would be accredited as "individual bloggers and social media practitioners who are really into blogging and writing about the President and his events at kung ano ano pang mga lakad ng ating Pangulo," he added. 

"Kapag sila po ay nag-apply, whether pro-Digong, whether dilaw ka or whether wala kang kinakampihan, apolitical or talagang as in observer ka lang ng politika, you are all welcome ... at tingnan natin kung yung mga past blogs at write-ups mo are really consistent and until now you're also consistent. So wala po tayong pinipiling political color, political leaning," Andanar said.

Andanar earlier signed Department Order No. 15 or the interim social media practitioner accreditation allowing individuals who are 18 years old and above with a social media page that has at least 5,000 followers to participate in the coverage of the President's special activities.

Meanwhile, every blogger has to apply for accreditation on a "per event" basis.

"If you want to cover another event then you will have to apply for another accreditation, hindi tulad sa MPC na you just apply once and you can cover all as long as hindi private time ng Presidente," he said. —LBG, GMA News