The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday dismissed as “nothing more than an anti-Duterte propaganda” a documentary recently aired by the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC).
The BBC documentary, aired last September 29, was entitled “Our World—Philippines: Democracy in Danger?”
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said the documentary “amounts to nothing more than an anti-Duterte propaganda, more worthy of tabloid journalism and gossip than the venerable institution that we thought BBC was.”
“The episode misleads viewers about President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s anti-illegal drug strategy, which is actually making Philippine society safer, healthier and more prosperous for the Filipino people.”
“It fails to mention that the strategy is a diversified and community-based approach that includes enforcement, rehabilitation and reintegration,” Cayetano added.
“Now, two years after being elected, critics say Dutere is attacking the very institutions designed to keep his powers in check. He’s locking up those who criticize him, while the children of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos are emerging as powerful players,” the BBC said in the documentary posted on its web site.
The country’s top diplomat said the episode makes little mention of the sheer magnitude of the drug problem in the Philippines, the enormous damage to millions of families caused by addiction, and the fact that police are under strict orders to follow the law in the conduct of the campaign against illegal drugs.
“The episode did not take into consideration the actions taken by the Duterte administration against police officers and other government personnel involved in the illegal drug trade.”
Cayetano said that had the BBC done its homework, “it would have known that as of August 31, 2018, we have arrested 576 government workers, including elected officials and uniformed personnel, while another 498 are being investigated for drug-related cases.”
“We have also dismissed 105 uniformed personnel for drug-related offenses. More importantly, from July 1, 2016 to August 31, 2018, we have dismantled a total of 235 drug dens and clandestine laboratories; seized P24.12 billion worth of illegal drugs and drug-related items; and cleared 8,444 barangays or villages of illegal drugs.”
“BBC paints a one-sided picture of the President’s critics, Sen. Leila de Lima, Sen. Antonio Trillanes, and former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno,” Cayetano lamented. “It overlooks the fact that all three have been given and continue to be given their day in court. The rule of law has been upheld in all three cases.”
“They are not, as the report unfairly alleges, victims of any crackdown on the political opposition. The report also failed to mention the obvious: all three remain free to criticize the Duterte administration,” Cayetano stressed.
The country’s top envoy said the report “falsely claims that the media in the Philippines is being persecuted.”
“Freedom of the press is important to the health of any democracy. Those who read our newspapers, watch our television programs, listen to our radio broadcasts, take part in dialogue through social media, and read online publications (including Rappler, which like other media outlets, can freely publish and criticize the policies of the Duterte Administration) can observe that the press is anything but inhibited in the Philippines.”
Cayetano added: “The episode also completely ignores the fact that President Duterte continues to enjoy the trust and support of the Filipino people. We are taking control of our economic future, making our society safer and healthier, and advancing the interests of Filipinos abroad.”
“Filipinos know this and this is why seven out of 10 Filipinos trust President Duterte and three out of four approve his performance, according to the latest Pulse Asia poll released on 25 September,” he said.
Cayetano said a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey released on September 29 also saw President Duterte’s satisfaction rating go up to 70 percent. “Another SWS survey that was also released last month showed that 78 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with the Duterte Administration’s campaign against illegal drugs,” he said.
Cayetano urges the BBC, in the interest of fair and objective reporting, “to present an accurate and balanced view of issues about the Philippines in the future so that its audience can make its own assessment of the health of our democracy.”
“More importantly, we believe that by doing so, BBC will be able to regain the trust of its audience in its journalistic professionalism and repair the damage it has inflicted on the Philippines and the Filipino people as a result of this one-sided documentary.”