Saturday, October 11, 2008 Soc accuses reporters of ‘doing p.r.’
TALISAY City Mayor Socrates Fernandez complained yesterday about the media’s handling of recent stories involving him and his son Joavan.
He singled out Sun.Star Cebu’s Garry Cabotaje even if the latter merely wanted to get his comment on Merceditha Abellana’s claim that the mayor gave her P10,000 to pay for two of her workers’ treatment bills.
Abellana and her nephew filed affidavits of desistance last week, saying they no longer wanted to press their serious illegal detention and robbery complaints against the mayor’s son, Joavan.
Cabotaje recalled that when he asked the mayor about Abellana’s claim, he refused to make a categorical reply.
To Cabotaje’s surprise, Fernandez asked him instead, “Are you part of a PR firm?”
In a meeting yesterday at City Hall, the mayor also told reporters that he felt like he was being grilled by a government prosecutor when Cabotaje asked his questions.
Fernandez also complained about the use of “past issues” such as his son’s previous skirmishes with the law whenever news reports about his son are written or aired.
“News comes from the root word ‘new’ plus s is news,” he said.
Background, however, is a basic part of news reports and is intended to help readers who may not have seen previous related stories.
Cabotaje said he was disappointed with the mayor’s accusation, as all he wanted to do was make sure he got Fernandez’s side, considering how serious Abellana’s allegation was.
In a separate phone interview, the mayor reportedly told Marlon Bellita of radio dyAB that he was only joking when he asked Cabotaje about working for a PR firm.
In interviews last Thursday, Abellana openly discussed how her 18-year-old son Bienvenido Jr. and nephew Winston were employed at City Hall, as well as how Mayor Fernandez gave her P10,000 cash.
More than once, she confirmed that Fernandez gave her an envelope with the cash last Oct. 4 in Tabunok, to pay for Osbert and Winston’s hospital bills.
Cabotaje called up the mayor’s residence twice that afternoon to get his comment on Merceditha’s claim.
When he was finally contacted, Fernandez first said he had no idea whether the National Bureau of Investigation had filed additional charges against Joavan on the seizure of ammunition and drug paraphernalia.
