Palace journos deny getting P50K each

Reporters covering President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., or the so-called Malacañang Press Corps (MPC), have denounced allegations that they are being paid or used by the administration to conceal the real score on the Chief Executive’s health.

“We all know that the state of health of the President is a vital aspect in the country’s security. It is clear from previous reports and videos of press briefings how our members questioned government officials about the President’s condition,” the MPC statement, released on Sunday, said.

MPC said it stands by the truth of the reports released by its members this past week.

“We also condemn the blatant attempts to destroy the credibility of journalists and mislead our countrymen to advance the interests of some,” it said.

It maintained that news articles released by MPC members, both online, print and broadcast are “reports gathered by asking people involved in the issue, or we ourselves witnessed them.”

MPC said its members are not mere “content creators whose only assets are their social media accounts, wild imaginations, and questionable agendas.”

“It is easy to accuse. It is easy to make up stories. It is easy to spread baseless rumors. This is not the work of responsible journalists,” it stressed.

The statement came after a barrage of posts on social media, particularly by Lorraine Badoy, a former spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, asking if the MPC regularly receives P50,000 from First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

“Correction: They receive it (bribe). Apparently, on a regular basis. Yes or no,” the post said.

In 2024, Badoy, along with Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz, was fined P2 million by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 306 for linking broadcast journalist Atom Araullo to communist rebels.

The court ruled that they abused the right to free speech by red-tagging Araullo.