PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday that he does not harbor any ill feelings towards the media, even after he took exception to the American press for making false reports about him allegedly cursing United States President Barack Obama.
"Of course, I am not at liberty to be angry at you. It is your own duty to ask questions," Duterte told a press conference in Davao City, when asked if he was mad at reporters after it was mistakenly reported by the international press that he ripped Obama with expletives.
"But now, initially, these are the things that I can assure you: I have no ill feelings towards you," he added, noting that he acknowledged that media can sometimes "commit error."
On Friday, the President personally denied that he called Obama "son of a whore" and stressed that the Filipino cuss word he frequently uttered was lost in translation.
Despite this, Duterte cited that he accepted the public apology of TV5 news anchor Ed Lingao who made a breaking news report about it but later on realized that the report was erroneous.
"I appreciate the apology of Ed Lingao. That I salute him… He apologized and I accepted his apology because sometimes, you commit error. I don't question that. If the other side interpreted it in the way he wanted it to be, That's their problem. After all, I am not the player of the international community," he said.
The President also said that he would not thwart the media from fulfilling its "sworn duty" to provide the public relevant news stories.
"With an accurate and true representation of what’s going on, I salute you. And because it is embodied in the Constitution – the freedom of the people to be informed – the media is there to find out the true and accurate. You portray history," Duterte said.
"Do not hesitate to attack me, criticize me if I do wrong in my job. It is your duty to your country," he added. (Sunnex)
