Zarate questions airing of PDP meeting on PTV, RTVM; Roque says it's newsworthy

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate on Thursday questioned the alleged use of government resources to air PDP-Laban's meeting, saying it used government resources for partisan politics.

“Has the government station become the private property of PDP-Laban or is it in line with Pres. Duterte's penchant for claiming taxpayer's paid services and personnel as his own?" Zarate said in a statement.

The progressive lawmaker issued the statement a day after PTV-4 and RTVM aired PDP-Laban's two-hour meeting "to seemingly convince President Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president in the coming elections."

He described the airing of the meeting as an “unabashed display of impunity in using government time and resources for a clearly partisan political activity,” as he pointed out that the PTV 4’s airtime is being paid using taxpayer’s money.

'Newsworthy' coverage

Sought for comment, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte, being the the chairman of PDP-Laban, cannot separate his political personality from his function as president.

“Halal siya ng taumbayan, his position is principally political,” Roque said. “As chairman of PDP-Laban, he has interest on who is going to be fielded for president and vice president.”

Roque also said the PDP-Laban meeting was "newsworthy" so it needs to be covered.

“PTV is a news agency so they cover what is newsworthy, just like the internment of former president [Benigno Aquino III],” he said.

During Wednesday’s meeting of PDP-Laban stalwarts, Duterte pronounced anew his openness to accept his party's call for him to run for vice president in next year's elections.

Duterte also pushed for his former aide, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, to run for president, although the senator said he has no ambition to seek the highest post in the country.

Meanwhile, Zarate also said the presidency is not a throne that can be inherited or passed on to one's chosen successor.

“We are not a fiefdom and we do not want a president that would just be a puppet or an aide to the one pulling the strings,” he said. --KBK, GMA News