Tulfo, media organizations, decry PNVF ‘censorship’ over revoked credentials
Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon “Tats” Suzara came under fire from a senator and two major media organizations on Wednesday, a day after the credentials of one media organization were revoked by organizers of the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship and another media company was threatened with the same sanctions.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo, a longtime media practitioner, blasted the PNVF during his privilege speech on Wednesday, a day after the local volleyball body canceled the accreditation of Spin.ph purportedly for publishing negative articles on the high ticket prices, low turnout of fans at the tournament venues and the exorbitant amount the country paid to host the tournament.
“Their (Spin.ph) alleged offense? Reporting on the exorbitant ticket prices and the empty arenas during the games—the very same issues that I and many others have raised to amplify the cries of our nation’s passionate volleyball fans, particularly our youth,” Tulfo said.
A reporter for Rappler was also threatened with the same ban on Tuesday for reporting basically the same thing on the 32-nation event that the PNVF spent more than P2 billion of taxpayers’ money to hold.
Earlier on Wednesday, the National Press Club (NPC) also condemned the PNVF, branding Suzara’s move as “media censorship.”
“[Those are] actions which clearly undermine the foundational principles of press freedom and transparency,” the NPC statement read. “These not only restrict the public’s right to access comprehensive and unbiased reporting but also sets a dangerous precedent for censorship within the realm of sports and beyond.”
Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) president Francis T.J. Ochoa of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, also did not let this pass.
“The incident will be put under further review. Still, as PSA president, let me strenuously and absolutely make it clear that any attempt to silence the press over critical, yet credible, reporting cannot be tolerated by the PSA,” Ochoa wrote.
“Censorship of any form has no space in a democracy, especially not in sports, where the principles of fair play always prevail.”
The PSA is set to come out with a proactive group statement on Friday.
Three Marcelo opinions
Meanwhile, Mattia Bottolo and the Italians came out firing against Belgium with a 25-13, 25-18, 25-18 rout to advance to the semifinal on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
“It was not a goal for us, but it was a dream to come again in this Top Four in the World Championship because it is difficult to repeat the same story because of [the rise of] the level of the teams in the world,” said Bottolo after scoring 10 points. “For us, coming to this point showed that we can keep growing and show how strong Italy is in the world.”
Roberto Russo led the balanced attack of the Italians with 12 points, scattering six kills, four blocks and two aces. Alessandro Michieletto sustained his fine form with 11 points, while Yuri Romano added seven points.
Reigning MVP Simone Giannelli tossed 30 excellent sets on top of four points, as they successfully held Belgian duo Ferre Reggers and Sam Deroo to 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Spin.ph ran three opinion pieces written by esteemed veteran columnist and former Manila Bulletin sports editor Ding Marcelo, the first one posted a month before the tournament, questioning the logic behind the big budget just to host a volleyball event. The second one talked about the low turnout and the ticket prices, and the third had Marcelo basically asking if “(Alas Pilipinas) winning one game worth the money spent?”
“The world deserves a transparent, honest, and fearless press—free from intimidation and censorship. Anything less undermines the core values of sportsmanship, democracy, and free expression,” concluded the NPC statement.
Suzara had also done this in the past, when he sued the Manila Times and Daily Tribune for negative press during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila, which he helped organize. Those suits were later thrown out in court.
