(UPDATE) RESTRICTING journalists’ access to President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is not and never will be a policy of the new administration, his spokesman said Friday.
Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ longtime chief of staff and executive secretary designate, provided the clarification after the Marcos camp was called out for allowing only three TV networks – Net25, SMNI and GMA-7 – to cover the first interview with the new leader last Thursday after his proclamation.
Rodriguez assured that it was not their intention to favor any network or “exclude anyone”.
“It is not the policy of the incoming Marcos administration to exclude you, our dear friends in the media. You have covered us for a long, long time and part of our success is attributable to how fairly you have covered us before even the start of the campaign period,” he said during a press briefing hours after the interview.
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The networks that were allowed to cover the interview had a “prior commitment” from Marcos’ media team they will have the first chance at a face-to-face interview with Marcos if he wins the election, said Rodríguez.
“If you notice, it wasn’t done one-on-one. We wanted to be fair, pinagsabay-sabay namin’ yung mga networks (we had all the networks there at the same time),” Rodriguez said .
“I ask for your understanding and would like to apologize to some who may not have appreciated the way we have reacted in the past,” he added.
Future relations between the new president and the media will be tested as soon as the Presidential Office of Communications Operations (PCOO), under the direction of press secretary-designate Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles, hands out credentials. to journalists covering Malacañang.
Some reporters who covered Marcos’ campaign had criticized the candidate for avoiding interviews, while Rodriguez was criticized for allegedly deliberately ignoring a reporter’s questions during one of his press briefings.
There were also fears that journalists would face tougher restrictions than bloggers and influencers during the campaign.
Rodriguez had said he was open to welcoming more social media personalities to cover Malacañang, a move that is expected to spark controversy, given that bloggers and influencers are not bound by the code of ethics that binds so-called media journalists. traditional – radio, press and television.
