House Speaker Martin Romualdez said he is not the type who gets offended with negative reports from members of the media.
Instead, the Leyte 1st district congressman sees these negative media reports as opportunities to air his side on different issues for the benefit of the public.
“Rather than being offended, I take them as an opportunity to explain my side to the public and expound on the issues involved," Romualdez told officers of the United Print and Multimedia Group (UPMG) during their oath-taking at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 10.
"Media reports - be it positive or negative - give us, government officials, relevant and timely feedback from the public with regard to our official acts. They also provide us with a platform on issues that need discussed with a bigger public,” he stressed.
The UPMG officers were led by its president, the Manila Bulletin's own external affairs and human resources development head Barbie Atienza.
Romualdez, the president of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, said he has always views the media as "not as an adversary but a partner in nation-building".
“Some say we in government should be wary of journalists as the media usually focus on the negatives rather than report the positive. They say, good news don’t make headlines. My experience with Filipino journalists debunks this myth," Romualdez said.
“Quite a number of journalists I have met are decent people and are responsible members of the profession. They report what they think are the burning issues of the day that deserve public attention,” he said.
The speaker went on to cite media practitioners covering the House of Representatives who, he said, “religiously report to the public the legislative measures being acted upon from the committee level to the plenary".
“They are nosy, yes, but they are just doing their job. And they are helping us do our job, too. With their help, we galvanize popular support for measures that are needed to uplift the living condition of our people,” Romualdez said.