Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez drew backlash after lashing out at reporters who sought his comment on alleged anomalies in flood control projects in his district.
Instead of responding to their questions, Gomez accused journalists of being part of a paid “media spin” and went as far as posting screenshots of their messages—complete with names and phone numbers—on his official Facebook account, where he has more than 774,000 followers. He also disabled the comments section.
“Mahal din itong media spin na ginagawa nila against me. Look at the similarities of the different socmeds and agencies asking questions. Alam na alam mong merong nagkukumpas. Alam na alam mong ginastusan. Ayus ahhhh. Gastos pa more, mga ungas,” Gomez wrote.
The post came after Matag-ob, Leyte Mayor Bernie Tacoy criticized Gomez for allegedly giving limited support to their locality amid recurring floods. Journalists from various outlets reached out to Gomez for his side, as part of standard reporting practice.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned Gomez’s move, stressing that media workers were only doing their jobs.
“Apart from the allegations that colleagues were paid as part of supposed ‘media spin,’ Gomez posted screenshots with media workers’ names and numbers, a potential violation of data privacy and an action that puts them at risk of harassment and fraud,” the NUJP said in a statement.
The group reminded the lawmaker that requests for comment are meant to give him a fair chance to address the allegations. “We remind Gomez that media asking for his side on the matter actually favors him. The requests give him a chance to address allegations made by Matag-ob Mayor Bernie Tacoy… and making them is part of journalists’ jobs.”
The NUJP added that Gomez could have simply declined to comment. “A simple ‘no comment’ or lack of response if he preferred not to speak about the issue” would have sufficed, the group noted, without imputing malice or exposing journalists’ private details.
University of the Philippines journalism professor Danilo Arao also criticized the lawmaker’s outburst, albeit without naming him directly. “He does not know the difference between ‘media spin’ and ‘news gathering.’ Maybe he needs to go back to UP [College of Media and Communication],” Arao said.
The controversy comes as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered lifestyle checks on Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials and contractors, amid mounting public anger over alleged ghost and substandard flood control projects worth billions.
