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Roque says 'no reaction' after media groups hit his treatment of reporter

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Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News 

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/07/15/20210621-duterte-monday-ho-10-(1).jpg"/><figcaption>Presidential Spokesperson Herminio &quot;Harry&quot; Roque Jr. listens to President Rodrigo Duterte during a meeting at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on June 21, 2021. <em>Joey Dalumpines, Presidential Photos/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s spokesman said on Thursday he had &quot;no reaction&quot; to two press organization&#x27;s criticism of his supposedly disparaging remarks against a journalist over her report of alleged Chinese harassment of Filipino fishermen. </p><p>&quot;Wala po akong reaksyon,&quot; the President&#x27;s spokesman Harry Roque said of remarks from the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP.)</p><p>&quot;Abogado po tayo. Truth is our natural advocacy, pinalabas lang po natin ang katotohanan,&quot; he said. </p><p>(I have no reaction. We are a lawyer... We only made the truth come out.)</p><p>Roque on Wednesday repeatedly told BBC reporter Virma Rivera to call his office while his televised press briefing was already underway. </p><p>Rivera before the briefing had asked Roque about Filipino fishers supposedly being prevented by Chinese ships from fishing at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, 5 years since a United Nations-backed court junked Beijing&#x27;s claims to parts of the West Philippine Sea. </p><p>Officials during the briefing denied this. Roque then told Rivera, &quot;Tinawag iyong report ninyo... na tsismis... We will link you up with them nang malaman natin kung sino talaga ang nagsasabi ng katotohanan.&quot; </p><p>(Your report was called gossip. We will link you up with them so that we can know who is telling the truth.)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1727635" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar"><em>Video courtesy of PTV</em></div><div><strong>WHAT MEDIA GROUPS SAID </strong></div><p>The NUJP hit Roque &quot;for turning the regular Palace briefing into his own online channel, where he can engage in antics like calling out a journalist on national television for asking him for comment on reports.&quot;</p><p>&quot;While government officials are free to disagree with and even try to debunk news reports... it is hoped that this would be done in a civil manner expected of the office of the presidential spokesperson,&quot; the organization said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;Perhaps it is a good time to remind Roque of the hashtag he has been trying in vain for months to get trending: Kalma lang (just keep calm),&quot; it added. </p><p>The FOCAP meanwhile said it was &quot;deeply disturbed&quot; about the way Roque responded to Rivera&#x27;s question. It said &quot;there is no justification&quot; that the BBC team was &quot;out to destroy the government.&quot; </p><p>&quot;The tone of Sec. Roque dismissing the BBC report as deception and rumor was disparaging and condescending, as he sought to assign ill motive to the network&#x27;s report and singled out Ms Rivera for it,&quot; said the FOCAP. </p><p>&quot;This was not the first time Sec. Roque had treated journalists, women in particular, with disrespect.&quot; <br/> <br/>Roque last year scolded CNN&#x27;s Tricia Terada for a report that she did not write. He refused calls to publicly apologize.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/20/20/i-dont-owe-them-roque-rejects-nujp-call-to-apologize-for-berating-reporter">&#x27;I don&#x27;t owe them&#x27;: Roque rejects NUJP call to apologize for berating reporter</a></li></ul><p>In January, he <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/20/21/where-is-your-honor-excellence-question-unfair-says-harry-roque-in-interview">fumed</a> against a question from CNN Philippines anchor Pinky Webb in a live interview. </p><p>Referring to his exchange with BBC&#x27;s Rivera, Roque said, &quot;Bahala na po ang taumbayan na maghusga.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Ganoon po talaga ang teorya ng malayang merkado ng ideya. Taongbayan na po ang maghuhusga kung sino talaga ang nagsasabi ng katotohanan,&quot; he added. </p><p>(It is up to the public to judge. That&#x27;s the way the free market of ideas works. The public will judge who is telling the truth.)</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1683676" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said on Thursday he had "no reaction" to two press organization's criticism of his supposedly disparaging remarks against a journalist over her report of alleged Chinese harassment of Filipino fishermen. <br /> </p>

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said on Thursday he had "no reaction" to two press organization's criticism of his supposedly disparaging remarks against a journalist over her report of alleged Chinese harassment of Filipino fishermen.

Roque says 'no reaction' after media groups hit his treatment of reporter

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Roque says 'no reaction' after media groups hit his treatment of reporter

Jamaine Punzalan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 15, 2021 03:23 PM PHT

Read More:

West Philippine Sea

WPS

South China Sea

China

China-Philippines

Rodrigo Duterte

diplomatic protest

Philippines China

Philippines China relations

Chinese incursions

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