Tordesillas, media groups deny hand in ‘ouster plot’

JOURNALIST Ellen Tordesillas of independent media organization Vera Files, news website Rappler, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) on Monday vehemently denied a report written by The Manila Times Chairman Emeritus Dr. Dante Ang that they were out to “destabilize” the Duterte government. Tordesillas, in a statement, dismissed Ang’s report that quoted a Malacañang source as “downright false and hilarious.”

The report on The Times was confirmed on Monday by Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo, who released to reporters copies of the supposed “matrix” or diagram, supposedly from the Office of the President itself, containing the names of news organizations and journalists allegedly behind a coordinated media campaign against Duterte.