Representative Richard Gomez attends the House Committee on Sports and Youth Development on September 13, 2022 to approve House Bills 821 and 4513 or the "Anti Game-fixiing Act," which seek to prohibit the crime of game fixing and provide stiffer penalties. Press and Public Affairs Bureau handout
MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez accused the media of "spin" after journalists sought his side following allegations that the flood-control projects in his district were not coordinated with the local government.
Gomez said in a Facebook post, attaching screenshots of messages sent by journalists, that there appeared to be someone "orchestrating" the media, noting the "similarities" in their questions.
“Mahal din itong media spin na ginagawa nila against me. Look at the similarities of the different socmeds and agencies asking questions. Alam na alam mong merong nagkukumpas. Alam na alam mong ginastusan,” Gomez said.
Media spin is the manipulation of information or events to shape public perception.
Journalists’ request to interview Gomez follows Matag-ob, Leyte Mayor Bernie Tacoy's allegations that Gomez provides “limited support” to the local government amid the recent flooding.
MAP: Flood control projects in Visayas
“Despite limited support from our District Representative, we continue to persevere through discipline and resilience,” Tacoy said in a Facebook post.
The mayor called for the accountability and transparency of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after a part of a flood control project in the district collapsed following the heavy rains.
Lacson details corruption in flood control projects
Tacoy also demanded the names of the projects’ contractors.
He added that DPWH and local government have not coordinated for its projects for the past three years.
DPWH lack of coordination over flood control projects irks LGUs
“Apparently, there is a lack of coordination with the communities that are supposed to benefit from these undertakings,” he said.
NUJP: MEDIA’S REQUESTS FAVOR HIM
In response to Gomez’s post, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines reminded the congressman that the media’s requests for interviews or comments give him a chance to address the allegations made by the mayor.
The group also condemned Gomez’s post of screenshots with journalists’ names and phone numbers, which it said was “a potential violation of data privacy and an action that puts them at risk of harassment and fraud.”
“If Gomez preferred to not speak about the issue, a simple 'no comment' or lack of response would have sent that message without imputing malice or exposing our colleagues' private information,” it said.
MEDIA SPIN DIFFERENT FROM NEWS GATHERING – JOURNALISM PROFFESOR
Journalism professor Danilo Arao clarified that media spin is different from news gathering, and that the journalists who sought Gomez’s comment were only doing their jobs.
“There’s no media spin in situations where journalists and media workers are just simply doing their jobs. It reflects more on the lack of knowledge or no knowledge at all on the part of Gomez with regard to how journalism works,” he told ANC’s Dateline.
He underscored the importance of calling Gomez out over his allegations to journalists as this could potentially spark “erosion of trust in the media.”
“What worries me is that the word ‘bayaran’ will become often used and then it will be ascribed not just by certain scalawag in the journalism profession but in the entire journalism sector,” he said.
Arao highlighted that in-depth research and due diligence must be done before making the allegation.
He said there should also be a concerted effort toward media literacy to raise the public’s awareness on how the press operates “and not just depend on the likes of Richard Gomez who has zero knowledge at all regarding the workings of the press.”
Arao, a media ethics professor, said there is a clear violation of the Data Privacy Act in Gomez’s posting of screenshots of private conversations, even without the names and phone numbers, as they were posted without consent.
‘ANSWERING QUESTIONS PART OF OFFICIALS’ JOB’
House Committee on Public Accounts Chairperson and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon noted that government officials’ job include responding to journalists’ questions on matters relating to their work and accountability.
“I think government officials, whoever they are, should be able to provide direct response to questions relating to the scope of their work… I think bahagi po ng trabaho ng gobyerno ‘yun. Magsagot ng mga tanong, particular ‘yung nakadikit sa amin pong trabaho,” Ridon said.
“Mahalaga siguro galangin natin yung trabaho ng bawat isa. Ibig sabihin, meron po trabaho ‘yung mga kinatawan ng Kongreso at Senado. Meron din pong trabaho’ yung mga mamamahayag,” he added.
“Ang papel naman po talaga ng media ay to speak truth to power. So, kailangan pong maunawaan ng mga matatas na opisyal ng gobyerno ito. At hindi naman po necessarily na just because media is asking the difficult and hard questions, ibig sabihin po nito ay binabayaran na po sila ng mga kalaban sa politika or meron na po silang ill intentions,” Ridon noted.
Asked whether Gomez’s actions could be the subject of an ethics complaint, Ridon said if there is such a complaint, the House ethics panel could accept it.
“Kailangan po natin makita kung talaga hong may privacy violation. Pero I think from the look of it, para hong I think the journalists have a reason to actually consider po whether there's a privacy violation done against them. Kasi ang totoo naman, ‘yung pong mga numero po ng mga tao ay nailabas, pangalawa, ‘yung mga pangalan po nila nailabas, pangatlo, ‘yung pong mensahe po nila ay nailabas,” Ridon, a lawyer, explained.
— With a report from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News
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