Veteran broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez appeared to throw shade at Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto following the latter’s viral “paid interview” claims against contractor couple Cezarah “Sarah” and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya.
Sanchez recently emphasized the importance of evidence in journalism in the September 1 episode of Bilyonaryo’s news program “Agenda,” which she anchors alongside Pinky Webb and Willard Cheng.
“Ang pinakaimportante, I think, to back up what you’re saying as credible is you have evidence before you talk… Ang hirap yung magsasabi ka lang pero wala kang ebidensiya… Kailangan may resibo ka bago ka magsalita.”
In the same episode, she defended actress and fashion muse Heart Evangelista, whose name had been dragged into controversies involving government projects as the wife of Senate President Chiz Escudero.
“Ngayon kasi uso yung nagsasabi ng kung anu-anong akusasyon pero walang ebidensiya… in fairness to her, this guy has to prove that there is basis to even investigate Heart, ‘di ba? Bakit kailangan niyang patunayan yun, e, may SALN naman yung asawa niya?”
“Lahat ng bagay kailangan pinatutunayan,” she added.
She also cited Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez as an example of accountability after he apologized over his remarks against the media.
“Saludo po kami sa inyo, Congressman Richard Gomez, na nabigla lang daw siya.”
“That is integrity for me, if you can accept that you made a mistake. Because kapag sinabi mo, kailangan mapanindigan mo at, higit sa lahat, mapatunayan mo.”
“But I think it’s very important that he owned up to it, at isa siyang tunay na lalaki,” stressed Korina.
Gomez recently took to Facebook to share what he alleged was a “media spin” after several reporters reached out to get his side on the flood control structure that collapsed in Matag-ob, Leyte.
The actor-turned-politico also claimed that journalists were being paid to ask him about the issue.
Press group National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), however, criticized the actor-turned-politician for his groundless claims and “imputing malice” among journalists.
Gomez later issued an apology and also removed screenshots showing the names and contacts of the journalists who reached out to him.
While Sanchez did not mention names, her comments came after Mayor Sotto’s viral Facebook post on August 21, where he criticized journalists who accepted paid interviews with controversial contractors.
No names were mentioned in Sotto’s post but he included screenshots of Sanchez and Julius Babao’s interviews with the Discaya couple.
“Bago tanggapin ng mga kilalang journalists ang alok… hindi ba nila naisip na, ‘Uy teka, ba’t kaya handa ’to magbigay ng 10 million* para lang magpa-interview sa akin??’” wrote Sotto.
He added: “Maybe they didn’t do anything technically ‘illegal,’ but at the very least it should be considered shameful… They rose to national prominence as broadcast journalists… at sa ganitong kalakaran, ito rin ang reputasyon at kredibilidad na pinahihiram nila sa mga corrupt kapalit ng [money emoji].”
Sanchez’s camp and Babao have since strongly denied “paid interview” allegations.
“There is no such thing as a P10 million placement for an interview. This is simply not true. Malicious insinuations posted on Facebook and which publicly besmirches the reputation of our shows or Ms. Sanchez, clearly constitute cyber libel,” read the statement of the executive producers of Sanchez’s shows.
