THE Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has deferred the implementation of its new accreditation guidelines for members of the media who are covering President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other presidential activities.
Communications Secretary Jay Ruiz suspended the implementation a day before it was set to be implemented following a dialogue with officers of the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC), the association of journalists assigned to cover the president, and presidential activities and events in Malacañang.
The PCO initially set the processing of accreditation of journalists covering Marcos from April 29 to May 2.
Among the contentious issues in the PCO guidelines include the consideration of the of years of operation of the media agency and the tenure of a journalist with the media organization.
Another issue is the definition of a “seasoned journalist,” which is another requirement for accreditation in the new guidelines, and the inclusion of “false reporting” as a condition for the revocation of the accrediation of an entity or member.
The MPC is set to submit its position paper by Friday on the new guidelines to help craft a clearer and more acceptable set of rules.
The PCO said it is open to the suggestions of the MPC, but maintained that stricter accreditation rules are needed because of the nature of Malacañang as a “prime” beat.
The MPC, in a statement, said it will continue to vigorously promote the interests of its members, contribute to the strengthening of self-regulation among media groups and stand by efforts promoting independent, critical and ethical reporting.
