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Duterte wants media as watchdog and partner

Published by Ellen on November 26, 2016

Press Undersecretary Enrique Tandan delivers his message at the MOM launch.
Press Undersecretary Enrique Tandan delivers his message at the MOM launch.

By VERA Files

President Duterte welcomes media’s role as watchdog even as he considers it a partner in informing the people about what the government is doing for them, a Palace official said.

In a message he delivered in behalf of Press Secretary Martin Andanar at the launching of the Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) website ((http://philippines.mom-rsf.org/ ), Thursday last week, Press Undersecretary Enrique Tandan said, “President Duterte believes that, as partners for change, the members of the media have a huge responsibility in keeping the government institutions in check. Change happens when there is a constant voice that keeps the government up on its feet, making sure that no detail will go unknown from the public eye.”

But the President also wants media to be a partner in delivering the government’s messages to the people. ‘’For the President, this is how the media works as the government’s sidekick, so to speak,” Tandan said.

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SEC policy disallowing reverse search a blow to transparency

Published by Ellen on November 21, 2016
Panelists in the forum on Media Ownership in the Philippines. (L-R) Prof. Clarissa David of the Philippine Competition Commission and University of the Philippines; Maria Regina Reyes, head of Integrated News and Current Affairs, ABS-CBN; John Nery, editor in chief, Inquirer.net and Rigoberto Tiglao, Manila Times columnist and author of the book,”Colossal Deception.”
Panelists in the forum on Media Ownership in the Philippines. (L-R)
Prof. Clarissa David of the Philippine Competition Commission and University of the Philippines; Maria Regina Reyes, head of Integrated News and Current Affairs, ABS-CBN; John Nery, editor in chief, Inquirer.net and Rigoberto Tiglao, Manila Times columnist and author of the book,”Colossal Deception.”

First things first: I’d like to thank each and every one who took time to attend the whole day launch and conference of the Media Ownership Monitor Philippines (http://philippines.mom-rsf.org/ ) last Thursday.

My special thanks to Press Undersecretary Enrique Tandan who delivered the keynote address in behalf of Press Secretary Martin Andanar, who was in Lima, Peru with President Duterte for the APEC summit; Atty Romel Bagares, who did the legal assessment of media ownership in the Philippines; and the four panelists – Ging Reyes, head of Integrated News and Current Affairs, ABS-CBN Corporation; John Nery, editor in chief, Inquirer.net and opinion columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer; Prof. Clarissa David of the Philippine Competition Commission and the Graduate Studies Department, College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines; and Bobi Tiglao, Manila Times columnist and author of the book, Colossal Deception- How Foreigners Control our Telecoms Sector.

The participants enjoyed the lively exchanges among the panelists –especially between Tiglao and Nery- which happens only in a gathering of learned and strong- minded personalities.

MOM is a joint project of Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) Germany and VERA Files (disclosure: I’m a trustee of VERA Files) which both believe that media ownership matters in the quality and credibility of the news that the public gets.

Continue readingSEC policy disallowing reverse search a blow to transparency

The powers behind media in the Philippines

Published by Ellen on November 15, 2016

mom-launch-reduced-size

Oftentimes, many people including government officials blame media for the many problems that they face in their governance.

Media-bashing was a standard fare in many of the speeches of former President Aquino. President Duterte has followed the same line.

Although the media-bashing reflects a warped appreciation of the role of media, it is also a recognition of the power of media- in its role as a vehicle of information to the public.

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