Palace salutes Reuter's Mogato for Pulitzer; insists drug war ‘legitimate’

Malacañang on Tuesday congratulated Reuters journalist Manuel Mogato for winning the Pulitzer Prize, but nevertheless defended the legitimacy of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

"Definitely, I'd have to congratulate Manuel Mogato," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on GMA News TV program "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho".

"But the fact remains that the policy of the President on the drug war is that the drug war is legitimate, intended to protect the youth from the ill effect of drugs."

Roque issued his qualified congratulations a day after it was announced that the Filipino Reuters journalist and his colleagues Clare Baldwin and Andrew R.C. Marshall won this year's Pullitzer prize for international reporting.

The Pulitzer committee said that the Reuters reporters had exhibited "relentless" reporting that "exposed the brutal killing campaign" behind the administration's drug campaign.

In a phone interview, Mogato told GMA News that winning the Pulitzer felt like winning the lottery.

"Para akong tumama sa lotto. Kasi pambihirang klase itong Pulitzer Award ano. Parang iilang Pilipino pa lang 'yung nanalo dito eh," he said. — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News