By Erma R. Edera AN AVID Duterte supporter initiated on September 16 a social media campaign calling international media “to stop destabilizing the Philippines,” following President Rodrigo Duterte’s badmouthing of US President Barack Obama which made international headlines. Sass Rogando Sasot, a “transpinay” (transgender Filipina) blogger and Duterte supporter currently based in Hague, Netherlands posted on Facebook a photo of herself clenching her right fist up high while holding a sheet of paper that read “Dear International Media: Stop Destabilising the Philippines” on her left hand. In the photo’s caption, Sasot said international news companies had “the money to influence international community” and named some international media outlets which she claimed placed Duterte in trouble.
Political analyst Dennis Coronacion told the Echo Today in an e-mail that both local and international media were not destabilizing the country because they were only reporting the “significant daily happenings” in society. “Usually, they get attracted to controversial events and personalities. [Once] their attention is pinned on a certain event or personality, they like to hang around, continue with their coverage until the public has lost interest,” Coronacion said. He also emphasized that the sources of destabilization included the “opposition politicians, coup plotters, underground armed resistance movements, armed secessionist groups, and terrorist groups.” “If we would like to stretch our imagination, we may also include the CIA, the US government, ISIS, and other foreign state and non-state actors but not the foreign media outfits like CNN and BBC”, he added. Interests to protect On the other hand, Ian Carlos Simbulan, executive producer of GMA Reporter's Notebook and former Filipino correspondent in the Al Jazeera, a media network based in Qatar, revealed in a forum organized by Metropolitan Alliance of Communication Students held last Sept. 23 at University of Santo Tomas that some media entities have interests to protect. “Sa kanila (media), ang malaking balita ay kapag ang sinasabi ng pangulo ay kakaiba, sobrang odd, sobrang hindi statesman, hindi pampangulo, ‘yun ang [ginagawa nilang lead],” Simbulan told the Echo Today. “Bilang isang bansa na nabibilang sa isang international community, we have to make sure na ‘yung lumalabas sa isang pinuno mo, anuman ang kontekstong gusto niyang sabihin, dapat sobrang statesman pa rin, naaayon pa rin sa nakasanayan nating tama,” he said. Simbulan also shared his experience being a Filipino counterpart for Al Jazeera. He pointed out that some international media organizations don’t have enough time to know the context of the story. “If they are destabilizing the government, I don’t think so. Di ako naniniwala. Si Mocha Uson at Sass Sasot lang ‘yun. Sila lang talaga [ang nagde-destabilize ng government],” he said. Sasot’s post went viral in Facebook with an estimate of 13,000 likes and shared approximately over 7,000 times. The post also garnered bashing from netizens because of Sasot misspelling “destabilising,” which she defended as in accordance with the British way of writing the word. The Echo Today tried to interview Sasot but to no avail. E
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