Duterte's 'hasty, crass' comments on media killings anger Ortega family

MANILA, Philippines – The daughter of slain Palawan broadcaster and environmentalist Gerardo “Gerry” Ortega on Wednesday reacted to President-elect Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte's comment that many journalists who have been killed were murdered because they were corrupt and biased.

On behalf of her family, Michaella Ortega took to Facebook and cried foul at statements that Duterte made in a press conference on Tuesday night.

“Our family is incensed by the hasty and crass generalizations made about murdered journalists in the country. Doc Gerry Ortega was killed for his courage and integrity. He was murdered precisely because he was honorable,” Michaella said.

“He fought for social justice. He stood up against mining in Palawan. He exposed corruption in the provincial government, which included the misuse of billions of pesos from the Malampaya funds,” she also said.

On Tuesday, Duterte was asked about how he will address media killings and the next president of the Philippines said most being a journalist does not exempt one from being assassinated if they have done "something wrong."

Michaella found Duterte’s statement threatening, especially to the members of the media whom she said are only doing their responsibility of reporting the truth.

“This kind of speech is alarming because without due process, it casts absolute judgment on all murdered journalists including those who were killed for telling the truth,” she said.

The elder Ortega was shot and killed by a lone gunman on January 24, 2011 in Puerto Princesa. He used to criticize former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes for his alleged inability to end the abuses and violations of environmental laws committed by mining firms in Palawan.

Duterte's partymate Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said Wednesday that Duterte's statements, broadcast live by most media outlets, had been taken out of context. He said that Duterte had merely been reminding the media to be responsible.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, which reviews media ethics and practices, reminded Duterte that although there is corruption in media, journalists have also been killed for doing their jobs.

"While corruption is undoubtedly a continuing problem in the press and media, journalists have been killed for other reasons, among them for exposing corruption in government, as in the case of Tacurong City journalist Marlene Esperat, or for their advocacy in behalf of environmental protection, as in the case of Puerto Princesa’s Gerardo “Gerry” Ortega. Some have also been killed for exposing anomalies in local governments as well as for fighting criminality," it said.

"A 2006 CMFR study in fact found that an overwhelming number of those killed since 1986 were exposing corruption and criminal syndicates in the communities.  Because a significant number of those accused of killing journalists are local officials, as well as police and military personnel, the killings also suggest that the slain had been successful in exposing official wrongdoing and collusion with criminal groups," it also said. —Rosette Adel