‘Out-of-context’ Philippine Daily Inquirer story is unfair to Bayan

We write to bring attention to the unfair and erroneous slant which the Inquirer gave our press statement in the news report titled “NDF Anniversary: Bayan Muna clears NPA: No extortion, it’s civil war” (Page 1, Inquirer, 4/24/13), which also appeared in the Inquirer’s online version (https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/396177/bayan-defends-npa-says-ambush-not-case-of-extortion).

Not only did the Inquirer get its facts wrong (it’s Bayan or Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, not Bayan Muna), it also showed bias, if not malice, when it chose to highlight, take out of context and twist the statement of Bayan to make it appear that it was timed with the anniversary of the National Democratic Front.

We are providing you with the full text of Bayan’s statement, the contents of which are far from what the Inquirer story and headline highlighted. You can find the same Bayan statement in this link: https://www.bayan.ph/site/2013/04/statement-on-the-npa-action-involving-mayor-ruth-guingona/

—DR. CAROL ARAULLO,

chair, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan,

[email protected]