If elected in the 2022 polls, presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. says he won’t appoint a presidential spokesperson and that he will face the media.

“Palagay ko, hindi ako maglalagay ng spokesman. Haharap ako sa media (I don’t think I’ll appoint a spokesperson. I’ll face the media),” Marcos bared to CNN Anchor and senior correspondent Ruth Cabal during the “In Private, Presidential Interviews” aired on Tuesday, April 26.
“I don’t understand bakit may spokesman ang presidente (why the president has a spokesperson),” he continued.
The UniTeam bet also claimed to be open to interviews with the media.
“I don’t know kung bakit sinasabi that mahirap ako (why they say that I’m difficult to) i-ambush interview. I’m always out in public. Pero syempre (But of course) we are doing something else also. I don’t know why they say that because, as I said, hindi naman ako pwedeng magtago (because I can’t really hide), I’m always out in the public,” Marcos continued, possibly referring to the incident between his staff and Rappler reporter Lian Buan.
On April 14, Rappler posted a video showing Marcos’s security detail and media officers physically shoving and blocking reporter Buan as they tried to get an ambush interview during a UniTeam sortie in Quezon City.
Marcos held his very first press conference as a palace hopeful on April 26, only 13 days or less than two weeks before the 2022 elections. Manila Bulletin was not present at this press conference.
Hours after Marcos’s first press conference on April 26 during a night-time UniTeam rally in the Pelaez Sports Complex in Cagayan De Oro (CDO), Manila Bulletin and other reporters attempted to interview Marcos after the CDO sortie but were thwarted by his security detail.
Marcos, then, explained to Cabal the concept of a presidential press officer, adding that he prefers this system of press communication.
“They have a press officer, press secretary who conducts regular briefings especially kung may malaking isyu na pumutok (an issue blows up), magbebriefing yan ngayon (they will hold a briefing) if the president decides to make his own statement pupunta sila (they will go) and they will face the media...Balikan natin yung sistemang ‘yon (Let’s go back to that system),” Marcos said.