The media personnel allegedly violated rules.
In a letter dated June 27, 2025, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) sent a letter to the office of Net25 News chief Paul Padua.
In the said correspondence, the undersigned, Asec. for Media Affairs and Relations Erelson Cabatbat pointed out a staff of the network’s news division, reporter Eden Santos.
According to Cabatbat, the incident took place during a destruction of illegal substances that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. personally witnessed in Tarlac on June 25.
“While the event was successful, we have to invite your attention regarding the breach of protocol committed by your reporter, Eden Santos, who is also a member of the Malacañang Press Crops. Santos, violated Media Advisory MA-25-109, in approaching the President directly, not once but twice, even if there was already an assigned place for reporters and cameramen in the venue,” the letter read.
The PCO official also underscored that strict courtesy and decorum dictate that when covering the President, “a certain distance should be observed at all times,” he said.
Thus, Cabatbat furthered, “It is in this light that we respectfully request that a new reporter be assigned to cover the President and the other government agencies inside Malacañang.”
The assistant secretary also noted that other reporters who were seen and recorded breaching the protocol will likewise be “admonished.”
Following this development, the Malacañang Press Corps, which is the pool of reporters covering the Palace beat, issued its own statement to question the move made by the PCO.
“The Malacañang Press Corps through its officers wrote a letter to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) to express its grave concern over the development,” it said.
The MPC officers questioned the supposed protocol breach used as basis in requesting for the replacement of one of its members, and thereby, “firmly opposed such a course of action.”
The Press Corps also added that the request letter was a “clear overreach of the PCO’s authority.”
“While the officers recognize the need to ensure the President’s safety and well-being, it should never be at the expense of the freedom of the press to tell stories that go beyond photo opportunities, press releases and rehearsed sound bites.”
Moreover, the officers also communicated that they are hopeful that the matter would be “resolved in a manner that strikes a healthy balance between ensuring the President’s safety and upholding a free press.”
Through its own channels, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) backed the Malacañang Press Corps’ stance on the matter.
The organization conveyed, “This incident is an opportunity for the Palace to look into why reporters would have to resort to “ambush” interviews in the first place.”
The NUJP also wrote that the incident might have taken place because journos needed more information than what was provided during briefings and press advisories, or perhaps, a result of limited access to the President—which is often restricted to managed press events and sit-down interviews with select journalists.
“In any case, it would be more productive for the PCO to arrange regular press briefings or conversations with the President instead of trying to replace reporters whose questions and actions it may disagree with,” the NUJP ended its statement.
The Presidential Communications Office has not yet issued any comment regarding the matter.