Senate media slams Rodante Marcoleta's remark accusing them of being 'paid hacks'
Members of the Senate media have pushed back against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta after he claimed that journalists covering the chamber were "nothing more than paid hacks."
During his opening statement at a hearing on the alleged flood control scandal on June 4, Marcoleta made a remark against the media, claiming that they failed to question other senators on why they remained silent on the controversy.
"Kayo pong mga participants sa media, na karamihan po sa inyo ay bayaran, sasabihin ko na sa inyo ito: Meron po bang nagsalita sa kanila? Kayo pong members ng media, tinanong niyo po ba sila kung bakit nagpakatahimik sila?" he said.
In their joint statement, the Senade media said that they "condemn in the strongest possible sense the sweeping claim" by Marcoleta.
According to the group, the remark was both "irresponsible" and a "reckless attack" on an institution they described as essential to any functioning democracy.
"Marcoleta’s statement unfairly maligned media workers who risk intimidation, harassment and even their lives to inform the public and hold the powerful accountable," they added.
They urged that government officials should "exercise greater restraint and responsibility in their pronouncements," especially in a time when "disinformation and political polarization continue to undermine public discourse."
"Marcoleta’s accusations against the press, if not supported by evidence, erode public trust in legitimate journalism and contribute to a climate of hostility against media practitioners simply doing their jobs," the group said.
They highlighted how the role of journalists is not to serve politicians, political parties, or competing factions in the country's endless political battles, but that it's to pursue facts, verify information, question those in power and report developments without fear or favor.
"Journalists should never be dragged into the rivalries, feuds, or power struggles of political figures. The media is not a weapon to be wielded by one camp against another, nor should it be treated as collateral damage in political warfare," the statement read.
"Attempts to paint the press as partisan simply because it reports uncomfortable facts are both unfair and dangerous," it added.
While they acknowledge that criticism of media coverage is "fair and even healthy in a democratic society," they emphasized that there is a difference between constructive criticism and the "wholesale vilification of an entire profession."
"Public officials, such as Marcoleta, who make serious allegations against journalists have a responsibility to present evidence instead of just relying on inflammatory rhetoric that undermines democratic institutions, they said.
They continued, "Again, the press is not the enemy of any political faction. It is not an extension of any political machinery. Its allegiance must remain solely to the truth and to the public it serves. Journalists deserve neither blind praise nor baseless condemnation, but they do deserve the freedom to report without being branded, bullied or sacrificed in the political battles of others."
Following their statement, Marcoleta later issued an apology for his remark, reasoning that he was merely overcome by his frustration.
"Pasensiya na po kung ako ay nakapagsalita ng gano'n. I did not mean it," he told the media after the hearing. "Ito ay dahil sa frustration ko sa nangyari at sa nangyayari po na nakikita ko. Ang gusto ko po makatulong kayong lahat para [sa] katotohanan."
He then recalled an incident back when he participated as a speaker in the Iglesia Ni Cristo's anti-corruption rally. According to him, 11 reporters from two big news companies heard his speech about how the rule of law and due process were being violated, but he was never named in their reports. On the other hand, senators who merely attended the rally but didn't speak were included.
The Senate is currently in political turmoil after a dramatic leadership shakeup that triggered a dispute over who legitimately controls the chamber.
While Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who was elected Senate president pro tempore, said that there would be no hearing for the Blue Ribbon Committee on flood control, the session still pushed through under the oversight of Sen. Pia Cayetano.
