[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Senate media demand apology from Andanar’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_image src=’http://www.panaynews.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/nation-Andanar.jpg’ attachment=’97341′ attachment_size=’full’ align=’center’ styling=” hover=” link=” target=” caption=” font_size=” appearance=” overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’][/av_image]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
MANILA – Members of the Senate media demanded a public apology from Presidential Communications Office secretary Martin Andanar for his statement that reporters were paid $1,000 to cover the press conference of alleged former Davao Death Squad (DDS) leader Arthur Lascañas.
The claims made by Andanar are “unsubstantiated” and “irresponsible,” their statement released on Feb. 20 read.
“To our knowledge, no such incident occurred. Such practice is not tolerated among Senate reporters,” it furthered.
The media group also asked the former news anchor Andanar to prove his allegations because his remarks “placed our credibility and our respective media entities under a cloud of doubt.”
Sen. Sonny Trillanes, for his part, categorically denied paying reporters to cover the press conference that he organized with the Free Legal Assistance Group.
“Hindi namin gawain ‘yan at mataas ang respeto namin sa Senate Media para gawin ‘yan. That’s the height of irresponsibility for a cabinet official to say that publicly,” the critic of President Rodrigo Duterte said.
Trillanes said that Andanar’s claims only aim to divert attention from Duterte’s “complicity to multiple murder as confessed to the public by Lascañas.”
In a television interview, the press secretary said a source told him that members of the media were paid “as much as $1,000” to cover Lascanas’ press conference, where he admitted Duterte’s alleged links to DDS.
The media were offered money “pero hindi ko lang alam kung tinanggap,” he added.
“Iyon ang umiikot na storya pero hindi naman sinabi na tinanggap na merong mga offer na ganoong kalaking pera ang oposisyon para lamang pabagsikin ang administrasyong ito, para ipakalat ang storya ni SPO3 Lascanas,” Andanar shared./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
