MANILA, Philippines—“Do not hesitate to attack me, criticize me, if I do wrong in my job. It is your duty to your country. As I have my duty to the people to serve you.”
This was President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark in 2016, asking media to be critical of him if he does wrong as the republic’s highest official.
But five years later, his remarks would ring hollow.
Last July 2, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) named Duterte as among 37 government leaders who have led relentless crackdowns against news media.
Since his election in 2016, Duterte has waged a “total war” on media, which have been considered as “collateral victims of his brutal methods, which tole…
Keep on reading: PH media: Soft targets in war on critical reporting