THE former press secretary of the Marcos administration questions the apparent silence of the mainstream media regarding the issue of PDEA leaks, which links President Bongbong Marcos in illegal drug use.
‘‘For other media entities, there’s nothing. There’s no, maybe because of fear of what happened to SMNI,” Jonathan Morales, Former PDEA Agent, said.
It seems that there is indeed a chilling effect in the broadcast industry due to the harassment faced by SMNI, which was indefinitely suspended by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and is now facing a proposed bill for the cancellation of its franchise that has passed in the House of Representatives.
According Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles, former press secretary of the Marcos administration, the silence of mainstream media on the issue of the PDEA leak, which links President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. to illegal drugs, is deafening.
‘‘The PDEA leaks really leave an impression on the minds of our people, especially those who are aware of this issue. Let’s remember that it seems like only the programs on this station (SMNI), on this network, are discussing this issue. It’s good that there is a major network covering or talking about it now, but still, the silence of our media is deafening. Why?’’ Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles
Former Press Secretary of the Philippines, stated.
Previously, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) stated that the harassment against SMNI, solely because of a question posed by two SMNI anchors about the travel fund of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is the cousin of President Marcos, had a significant impact on the broadcast industry.
“The entire proceedings in Congress and the NTC have somewhat alarmed the industry, as if there was a sword of democracy hanging over its head. In media parlance, there have been chilling effects,” according to Atty. Rudolph Jularbal, Spokesperson, KBP.
According to Cruz-Angeles, the mainstream media is avoiding delving into the issue because it will pinpoint Marcos Jr.’s health condition, which will question his capability to lead the country.
“If the content of these PDEA leaks needs to be discussed and it goes into the health condition of a leader, the public will ask if there is competence when we talk about long-term use of illegal substances, if there is still capacity to make competent decisions,” Atty. Angeles added.
Aside from the former press secretary, one of the veteran journalists also noticed the silence of the mainstream media on the issue of PDEA leaks.
‘‘Before the committee hearing in the Senate even began, I posted asking if ANC, which ABS-CBN proudly showcases worldwide, would cover it. Would GMA and PTV, these two stations, cover it? Would TV5 and their television cover it? I followed and checked all of them one by one, unfortunately, none. Imagine, it’s an earthshaking development but none of them were interested. But anyway, that’s okay because that’s their strategy. They will be the ones to answer to their viewers and radio listeners.”
“Because if you don’t cover something as big as that, there’s something wrong with your station,” according to Jay Sonza, Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator.
