NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHORNICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
Vice Gov. Rene Relampagos hit the Chronicle over its banner reportage on the controversial move of the Provincial Government to spend P24 million for the purchase of 14 vehicles for the 13 board members and one for the vice governor himself.
Relampagos who is the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan criticized the paper for its being untruthful after it mentioned in its banner story “SUV” vehicles when in fact, he said the SP will purchase Pick-up vehicles.
What the vice governor missed to notice was that while the headline mentioned SUV, the photo was that of a Navara Pick-up.
This was contained in last Sunday’s issue as the Capitol beat reporters gathered statements from board members that “there was nothing definite yet as to what type and brand of vehicles will be purchased.”
SUV, PICK-UP PRICES DO NOT DIFFER MUCH
The present market prices of a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and a Pick-up do not vary much.
For Ford, the cheapest SUV (Everest) is P1,838,000 as compared to Ranger Pick-up 4×2 at P1,415,000.
For Nissan, the cheapest SUV (Terra) is P1,564,000 as compared to Navara Pick-up at P1,420,000
PRES. DUTERTE & 8888 HOTLINE
Vice Gov. Relampagos likewise questioned why the name of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte was dragged into the Chronicle’s headline story last Sunday.
The vice governor belittled the story saying the query just came from the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Hotline and not from Pres. Duterte.
The Chronicle stands by its story after the paper received a copy of the said investigation into the complaint bearing the official letterhead of the “Office of the President, Republic of the Philippines”.
With the hundreds of issues tackled by the Presidents’ Hotline, it is impossible that the President has to issue his personal notation or comment in every complaint attended to.
The Chronicle story clearly mentioned that the query was sent by the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center which was established by Pres. Duterte himself.
Sec. Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operation Office (PCOO) who was informed of this fiasco said that actions taken by the “8888 Citizens Complaint Hotline” in relation to citizen complaints can be attributed to the President himself. He told the Chronicle last Wednesday.
ONCE UPON A TIME RUN 2 NEWSPAPERS
Vice Gov. Relampagos, after the defeat of his re-election bid against the late Gov. Erico Aumentado- published two politically-driven weekly newspapers “Ang Balita Sano” and “Tagbilaran Forum.”
The agenda of his two papers was to mount a massive critique of the Aumentado administration.
The two new newspapers which were published as propaganda for his political career were few of those short-lived newspapers in Bohol.