MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte chastised members of the media anew for allegedly being paid to produce fake news amid the campaign season.

Duterte made the statement while calling for the public to be critical of news reports especially during the campaign season.

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“They accept [payment] from clients to [write] political attacks. ACDC [attack and collect money, defend and collect money]. You attack to get paid. So don’t believe that they are clean,” Duterte said Saturday during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN) campaign rally at the Centennial Stage, Kaamulan Park in Malaybalay City in Bukidnon.

Duterte also accused the media of “protecting the rich and hide their secrets.”

“You protect the rich and hide their secrets, but attack us politicians who genuinely want reform. That’s the truth. You are just being paid,” he stressed.

This is not the first time Duterte called out journalists for allegedly writing reports in exchange of cash.

On April 4, Duterte said investigative journalists were being paid following the release of a series of Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) reports questioning the source of the presidential family’s wealth.

The PCIJ reports claim that the President’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), as well as those of his children Sara Duterte and Paolo Duterte, reported “big spikes” while serving in public office.

The reports added that the Duterte family had undisclosed businesses and an unregistered law firm.

Duterte, however, explained that his law firm was a mere “backup plan in the past years” in case he loses the elections.

“They said that I have a law office that was unregistered. What is it to them if I don’t have it registered? They didn’t discover that my partner died the week after… having a law office was my backup plan in the past years in case I lose in the elections. At least if I lose, I would have a sanctuary and a source of income which is my law office,” Duterte said. /cbb

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