MANILA – Veteran broadcaster Korina Sanchez-Roxas and her production team denied Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto’s insinuation that her program accepted P10 million in exchange for an interview with his 2025 midterm polls opponent Sarah Discaya.
Producers of Rated Korina and Korina Interviews maintained that their editorial choices are driven by human-interest value, not politics or business arrangements.
They said the feature on Sarah and Curlee Discaya, which aired in late 2024 and early 2025, was intended as a success story and not as a material for the just-concluded elections.
“In the case of the Sarah and Curlee Discaya interview, their rags-to-riches story is their story. It was never intended to be investigative but simply a success story,” their statement read.
The team underscored that while some program segments are sponsored, these are processed formally by the network with receipts — not by the host herself.
“There is no such thing as a P10 million placement for an interview,” the statement said, adding that Sotto’s allegation was “malicious” and could even amount to cyber libel.
Sanchez’s camp clarified that the broadcaster only found out about Sarah’s mayoralty bid on the day of the taping. They also revealed that Sotto had been invited multiple times for guestings, even through his mother, actress Coney Reyes, but he declined.
Julius Babao, for his part, echoed Sanchez’s denial after conducting a separate interview with the Discayas.
“Walang katotohanang may P10 million na involved for this interview. Ang layunin ng vlog ay ma-inspire ang mga taong posibleng maging matagumpay kung magsisipag lang at didiskarte sa buhay. Very interesting kasi ang rags-to-riches story nila,” Babao said.
Sotto, in a Facebook post on Aug. 21, questioned the judgment of journalists who entertain political aspirants with questionable backgrounds.
“Bago tanggapin ng mga kilalang journalists ang alok para mag-interview ng contractor na pumapasok sa politika, hindi ba nila naisip na, ‘Uy teka, ba’t kaya handa ’to magbigay ng 10 million para lang magpa-interview sa akin?’” said Sotto, who later clarified that the amount was not exact, but an illustration of what he claimed was an ongoing practice.
Although he avoided naming Sanchez directly, Sotto’s post included screenshots from her interview with the Discayas, alongside a vlog feature by fellow broadcaster Babao.
He remarked that while such content may not break the law, “at the very least it should be considered shameful and violative of the spirit of their code of ethics.”
The couple’s profile resurfaced online after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned their company, Alpha and Omega General Contractor & Development Corp., as one of the biggest beneficiaries of government flood control projects worth billions.
This triggered renewed public scrutiny of their lavish lifestyle, highlighted by clips of luxury cars and rapid wealth accumulation./PN
