IN THIS age of disinformation and misinformation, where sharing crude content is easy as pie with the platforms available, journalists must be remember their mission: to inform the public with accurate and verified information.
That mission, followed to the letter and spirit, fosters transparency and accountability.
We take the report on Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, picked up by other media outlets, which said the Cabinet official was holding two passports. Teodoro assumed office on June 5, 2023 and had previously served the same position as defense chief from Aug. 2007 to Nov. 2009.
The report said 61-year-old Teodoro holds a passport from Malta, making him a dual citizen of the Philippines and that European country, with a passport, under Teodoro’s full name Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Jr., issued on Dec 22, 2016 number 1259234, valid for 10 years.
In the Philippines, dual citizenship is generally restricted for those holding sensitive government positions.
While Republic Act 9225 allows natural-born Filipinos who have become naturalized citizens of another country to retain or re-acquire Philippine citizenship, they must renounce their foreign citizenship and take an oath of allegiance to the Philippines before assuming any public office, especially sensitive ones.
It is not enough to say the media outlet had tried to reach out to the person several times, a line repudiated by Teodoro.
In an interview broadcast live, Teodoro said in Filipino “This is not only fake news but also a smear campaign, because they did not try to get my side, which I could have given.
“They just came out with the report. And they knew that it would be picked up quickly.”
He explained he availed himself of a Maltese passport in 2016 because he was looking for jobs and opportunities in Europe, noting he was a private citizen then, and renewing visas was time consuming and a difficult process.
On Monday, the Department of National Defense said Teodoro Jr. had surrendered his Maltese passport before the filing of his candidacy for the 2022 elections.
“Its existence was disclosed to the Bureau of Immigration and Comelec (Commission on Elections) prior to the 2022 elections, as well as to the Commission on Appointments prior to their confirmation of his appointment as defense secretary,” DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.
Clearly, the motive of the rumor, picked up as a news report, was clear and known to Teodoro, and the timing of the article, suspect as it is, adds to the quietly perceived motive.
We don’t preach, but strongly feel the media, print and broadcast, must never go out on a limb, particularly where issues as sensitive as Teodoro’s case could have been addressed by an honest phone call.
