Duterte swipes at journalists engaged in 'AC/DC' practice
Published Apr 14, 2019 01:33 pm
By Genalyn Kabiling
President Duterte has slammed journalists allegedly engaged in "AC/DC" practice that involves attacking or defending a person for a fee especially this campaign season.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) campaign rally at the Kaamulan Park in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon on April 13, 2019. ( JOEY DALUMPINES / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The President minced no words with journalists involved in unethical behavior during his recent visit to Bukidnon, saying the public must practice discernment and not fall for stories written by hack writers.
“They accept (payment) from clients to (write) political attacks. ACDC (attack-collect-defend-collect). You attack to get paid so don’t believe that they are clean," he said in the Visayan dialect during the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon last Saturday.
Duterte also took a swipe at journalists who allegedly protect the wealthy while attacking sincere public servants.
"You protect the rich and hide their secrets, but attack us politicians who genuinely want reform. That’s the truth. You are just being paid,” he said.
The President earlier accused investigative journalists of pursuing stories in exchange of money after the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) published a story about alleged increase in his family's wealth.
The PCIJ reported the wealth of the President and his children Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and former Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte have soared while in public office, raising questions how they managed to earn such fortune. It also uncovered the Dutertes alleged interests in several business entities but supposedly did not declare them in their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) as required by law.
The President, however, hit back at critics about his wealth, saying any money earned outside government was nobody's business.
In his remarks in Bukidnon, the President downplayed anew the report about his wealth as he defended his involvement in a law office and motorcycle trading.
The former Davao City mayor said the law office was built as a "backup plan" in case he lost the elections.
“They said that I have a law office that was unregistered. What is it to them if I don’t have it registered? They didn’t discover that my partner died the week after…having a law office was my backup plan in the past years in case I lose in the elections," he said.
"At least if I lose, I would have a sanctuary and a source of income which is my law office,” he said.
On his love for motorcycles, he admitted that it became natural to trade old motorcycles for new ones.
"If you are a motorcycle rider, you immediately become a businessman because if your motorcycle model grows old, you will want to replace it with a new one," he said," he said.
"If not, you trade it for a new model and just add money. But those transactions weren’t for profit,” he said.
READ MORE: Duterte: Why should I reveal where I keep my wealth?
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) campaign rally at the Kaamulan Park in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon on April 13, 2019. ( JOEY DALUMPINES / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The President minced no words with journalists involved in unethical behavior during his recent visit to Bukidnon, saying the public must practice discernment and not fall for stories written by hack writers.
“They accept (payment) from clients to (write) political attacks. ACDC (attack-collect-defend-collect). You attack to get paid so don’t believe that they are clean," he said in the Visayan dialect during the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon last Saturday.
Duterte also took a swipe at journalists who allegedly protect the wealthy while attacking sincere public servants.
"You protect the rich and hide their secrets, but attack us politicians who genuinely want reform. That’s the truth. You are just being paid,” he said.
The President earlier accused investigative journalists of pursuing stories in exchange of money after the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) published a story about alleged increase in his family's wealth.
The PCIJ reported the wealth of the President and his children Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and former Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte have soared while in public office, raising questions how they managed to earn such fortune. It also uncovered the Dutertes alleged interests in several business entities but supposedly did not declare them in their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) as required by law.
The President, however, hit back at critics about his wealth, saying any money earned outside government was nobody's business.
In his remarks in Bukidnon, the President downplayed anew the report about his wealth as he defended his involvement in a law office and motorcycle trading.
The former Davao City mayor said the law office was built as a "backup plan" in case he lost the elections.
“They said that I have a law office that was unregistered. What is it to them if I don’t have it registered? They didn’t discover that my partner died the week after…having a law office was my backup plan in the past years in case I lose in the elections," he said.
"At least if I lose, I would have a sanctuary and a source of income which is my law office,” he said.
On his love for motorcycles, he admitted that it became natural to trade old motorcycles for new ones.
"If you are a motorcycle rider, you immediately become a businessman because if your motorcycle model grows old, you will want to replace it with a new one," he said," he said.
"If not, you trade it for a new model and just add money. But those transactions weren’t for profit,” he said.
READ MORE: Duterte: Why should I reveal where I keep my wealth?