A social media post by Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto questioning the ethics of journalists interviewing controversial public figures for a fee has ignited a public feud with veteran news anchor Korina Sanchez-Roxas. The conflict intensified after Sanchez's camp issued a statement pushing back against Sotto's claims, which specifically referenced an interview with a couple whose companies are embroiled in a multi-billion-peso corruption probe.
The controversy began when Mayor Sotto took to Facebook, posting screenshots from interviews conducted by Sanchez and broadcaster Julius Babao with the couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya. Sarah Discaya, who lost to Sotto in the recent Pasig mayoral elections, co-owns companies that have been identified as having cornered a significant portion of the P100 billion worth of flood control contracts under scrutiny by President Marcos.
In his post, which has garnered widespread attention, Sotto suggested that these interviews may have involved a payment of "P10 million*," adding a disclaimer that the figure was "not exact but you already get this."
He criticized the practice, arguing that while such interviews might not be "technically illegal," they violate the spirit of journalistic ethics by using a journalist's credibility to "sanitize" the image of their subjects.
Sotto lamented that this behavior highlights how "corruption is systemic" and permeates sectors beyond the government.
In a joint statement released Friday, the camps of Sanchez's two programs, "Korina Interviews" and "Rated Korina," directly addressed Sotto's allegations. They vehemently denied that a P10 million payment was involved, threatening legal action for what they termed "malicious insinuations" that constitute "cyberlibel."
The statement defended Sanchez's professional reputation and stressed that all content aired on her shows meets strict standards set by the networks. While denying a direct payment to the host, it explained that "payments for certain businesses... much like payments made for advertisements... goes to the network with an official receipt issued to the client."
Sanchez’s camp justified the interview with the Discayas as being of "public interest" due to their "sudden prominence in the public eye." They portrayed the feature as a "rags-to-riches life story," asserting that it was aired "walang dagdag at walang bawas" (without embellishment or deletion). The statement also pointed out that Sanchez's programs have featured many public figures, including members of Sotto's own family.
As a final point, the statement claimed that Sanchez's team had reached out to Mayor Sotto multiple times for his reaction to the Discayas interview but was consistently declined. The public exchange now raises questions about the intersection of media, politics, and corporate interests in the Philippines.
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