By Gabriela Baron
Copyright tribune
Senator Erwin Tulfo on Wednesday, 24 September, asked the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) to explain why it revoked the accreditation of sports website Spin.ph and barred its coverage of the tournament.This after Spin.ph reported about the unaffordable tickets offered during the FIVB Men’s World Championship in Manila.Tulfo noted that Rappler and other outlets were also warned against reporting anything negative about the event, an act he branded as “curtailment of press freedom.””This is censorship. This is curtailment of freedom of the press. As a journalist all my life, I condemn this act of blocking our noble reporters’ freedom to write for the press. Dapat po managot ang mga taong nasa likod ng panghaharang sa mga kapatid natin na nasa media (Those behind the blockage of our brothers and sisters in the media must be held accountable),” Tulfo said.”Karapatan ng bawat mamamahayag na sumulat o mag-broadcast ng katotohanan— dahil sa panahon ngayon puro fake news na laman lalo na kung asahan mo po ang social media—-at walang sinuman ang pwedeng pumigil dito (Every journalist has the right to write or broadcast the truth–because nowadays, there are a lot of fake news, especially in social media–and no one can stop it),” Tulfo added.On Tuesday, 23 Sept., Tulfo and Senator Risa Hontiveros hit PNVF, under the leadership of Ramon “Tats” Suzara, for the ticketing issue and the inclusion of an online gambling company as a sponsor.Hontiveros also lamented the high prices of tickets, which went as high as P14,000 to P18,000 before the PNVF offered discounts.”It’s a shame because we’re seeing an increase in Filipino volleyball enthusiasts who want to watch and support the game, our national teams, and other teams that the Filipinos are starting to love,” Hontiveros said.”Why were the tickets priced out of range for an ordinary person who just wanted to watch the games?” she added.Meanwhile, Tulfo said high ticket prices are the reason why most games had a measly crowd, describing it as “nilalangaw.”
