Pia Ranada 鈥擯HOTO FROM PIA RANADA鈥橲 LINKEDIN PAGE
Incoming presidential spokesperson Harry Roque called on rabid supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte to refrain from throwing anything at journalists.
Instead, Roque suggested that the President鈥檚 supporters just give the journalists, especially the critical ones, 鈥渉ot pan de sal.鈥�
His suggestion came after pro-Duterte blogger Rey Joseph Nieto asked him in a radio interview aired over dwIZ on Friday to throw a hollow block at Rappler reporter Pia Ranada.
This was apparently a takeoff from Roque鈥檚 own earlier threat to hurl hollow blocks at Mr. Duterte鈥檚 critics.
鈥淭o my DDS friends: Please leave Pia Ranada alone. Let us please not throw anything at legitimate journalists. Let鈥檚 give them, particularly the critical ones, hot pan de sal instead,鈥� the incoming spokesperson said on his Facebook page.
Ranada has since filed a complaint against dwIZ before the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP). Prior to this, she called out the radio station for allowing one of its hosts to ask Roque to throw a hollow block at her.
鈥淲hether or not he meant it literally, it鈥檚 a threat. Why is a KBP-recognized radio station allowing its hosts to threaten journalists?鈥� she said on her Twitter account.
Immediate action
DwIZ news director Jun del Rosario said the station would take immediate action on the matter once Ranada lodged a formal written complaint against Nieto.
鈥淚nvestigation based on formal written complaint has more bearing and strength than an investigation based on social media posts by the complainant. Although, it does not mean that we are disregarding Nieto鈥檚 act in the absence of a written complaint,鈥� Del Rosario said.
Roque earlier said his 鈥渉ollow block鈥� threat was intended for the followers of Assistant Communications Secretary Mocha Uson, who maintains a Facebook page in support of the President. He made the comment in an interview with Uson.
The message he had intended to send by his comment was that he has Mr. Duterte鈥檚 back covered, he said.
鈥淣ow, you can take it literally or figuratively. But what I meant was, since I believe in the free marketplace of ideas, stones hurled are welcomed, but expect to have bigger stones thrown back at you. I think that鈥檚 the nature of the free marketplace of ideas,鈥� he said on Thursday.