Joselito Malig

Journalists fight back against Marcoleta's 'bayaran' tag

Article (news)

Carmelle Lacuata

Darylle Sarmiento

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Journalists and a Palace agency on Thursday lashed out at what they called &quot;sweeping and unsubstantiated&quot; accusations made by Senator Rodante Marcoleta against media workers. Marcoleta, who was among the senators present during the Senate hearing led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, accused members of the media of being &quot;paid hacks&quot; or &quot;bayaran&quot;, questioning their supposed failure to question the &quot;new majority&quot; bloc&#x27;s move to cancel a hearing on the flood control scandal.&quot;Kayo pong mga participants sa media, na karamihan po sa inyo ay bayaran,” Marcoleta claimed.For the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS), Marcoleta&#x27;s sweeping statements &quot;threaten media credibility&quot; and &quot;expose them to potential harm.&quot;&quot;Journalists have a duty to report accurately and impartially, and it is critical that public officials respect their role as watchdogs of accountability and truth,&quot; PTFOMS said in a statement.&quot;Senator Marcoleta, who has previously championed accountability, should adhere to these ideals by either backing his claims with solid evidence or withdrawing his comments and apologizing to the journalists he has wrongfully accused,&quot; it added.The Photojournalists&#x27; Center of the Philippines (PCP) also expressed a similar concern, adding that these &quot;sweeping and unsubstantiated accusations&quot; may expose media workers to harassment, intimidation, and threats.&quot;Criticism of the press is part of democratic discourse and should always be welcomed when it is grounded in facts. However, public officials who make serious allegations against journalists have a responsibility to present evidence, not rely on broad and inflammatory claims that malign an entire profession,&quot; PCP said.The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), for its part, emphasized that journalism&#x27;s loyalty is to the people, and it is the role of the media to &quot;ferret out the truth and convey it to the public.&quot;&quot;Journalists ferret out the truth and convey it to the public. This includes asking questions to whoever needs to be held accountable. Our colleagues in the Senate have been doing exactly what they ought to do. Portraying the media as partisan only means to distract the public from real issues that should be put into light,&quot; NUJP said.Such accusations, likewise, should be substantiated and investigated fully, NUJP also said.&quot;Allegations of corruption hurled against either side must be investigated fully. Journalism’s loyalty is to the people, not to any partisan group with vested interests,&quot; it added.PCP also called on Marcoleta to substantiate his claims and to &quot;identify the journalists he believes have violated professional and ethical standards.&quot;&quot;If he possesses evidence of wrongdoing, he should present it before the appropriate bodies and allow due process to take its course,&quot; PCP added.<div><a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/30/world-press-freedom-declines-as-authoritarianism-rises-1242">World press freedom declines as authoritarianism rises</a> <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/3/-state-repression-remains-top-threat-to-ph-press-freedom-nujp-says-1101">&#x27;State repression&#x27; remains top threat to PH press freedom, NUJP says</a></div>During a press conference at the Senate plenary hall, Marcoleta attempted to clarify his remarks when confronted by reporters, claiming that he was referring only to certain individuals.“Kasi sabi mo, media, parang lahat na eh. Di ko nilalahat kasi you know I&#x27;m coming from deep frustrations,” Marcoleta said.He later defended his statement, explaining that it stemmed from frustration.Marcoleta cited an incident involving a broadsheet article published in 2025 about a rally where he claimed to have been one of the speakers. “Ito naumpisahan ko na eh. I was using the example in the rally of the INC last January 13 yata in 2025. I spoke for about 45 minutes in that rally.”According to the senator, his name was omitted from the report despite his participation in the event.“So, 11 reporters saw it. 11 reporters heard it. Alam niyo, wala naman lang akong pangalan doon. Kahit na yung acronym lang ng pangalan ko, alam mo naman may naglagay, narinig namin si RTM, baka sakaling tanggapin ko na po eh.” But other politicians who were at the rally were mentioned, he added.“There were senators na nagpunta doon, they weren&#x27;t invited. Basta nagpunta lamang doon, nasama sa crowd, nai-spot-an ng mga reporters, all their names, nandun po sa report, including their middle names,” Marcoleta claimed.

Journalists and a Palace agency on Thursday lashed out at what they called "sweeping and unsubstantiated" accusations made by Senator Rodante Marcoleta against media workers.

Journalists and a Palace agency on Thursday lashed out at what they called "sweeping and unsubstantiated" accusations made by Senator Rodante Marcoleta against media workers.