Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday accused news organization Abante of publishing a “deliberately spliced and misleading” video of her speech outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility in The Hague and called on the media outlet to uphold responsible journalism.
In a statement dated July 30, Duterte said Abante published the video on its official social media platforms on July 29 with the caption, “I CAN HIRE A GUNMAN FOR ₱5,000.”
According to Duterte, the post extracted and isolated a single statement from the speech she delivered outside the ICC detention facility in The Hague on July 29.
She said the published material was a clear example of a statement being taken out of context and presented in a misleading manner to generate public outrage and online engagement at the expense of accuracy and responsible journalism.
Duterte said the post failed to include the explanation that immediately followed the statement, resulting in what she described as a false and misleading impression that was inconsistent with the substance, intent and context of her speech.
The vice president called on Abante’s editorial and social media departments to ensure that its reporting is fair, contextual and accurate.
She also urged the news organization to refrain from publishing materials that, through selective splicing or sensational presentation, could mislead the Filipino public.
Duterte said Filipinos deserve journalism that informs truthfully, reports responsibly and presents facts in their proper context.
She added that public discourse is strengthened not by sensationalism but by integrity, fairness and respect for the truth.
The statement was signed by Duterte and released on July 30, a day after the publication of the social media post she criticized.
