Ed Lingao blasts TV5 colleague Erwin Tulfo for falling for fake news

Veteran journalist Ed Lingao wrote a lengthy rebuttal on his Facebook account Sunday, pulling no punches on his TV5 colleague Erwin Tulfo, who had posted a video rant against him.

Lingao took to Facebook to call out Tulfo for believing that he was rallying for his suspension or dismissal in a recent Facebook post.

“First, I always advise everyone to read. That includes you, dear Idol. Ang iksi na nga ng post ko nung Byernes, hindi mo pa nagawang basahin bago ka mag rant ng 38 minutes? Paano ka naman nag rant laban sa post na hindi mo binasa? Meme ulit?” Lingao wrote.

“Sayang naman ang pagod mo. Sayang din naman ang mga researchers at writers mo. Read the post please. You ranted that I asked KBP and TV5 to suspend or fire you? Huh? Which meme did you read that from? Another transcript?” he added.

Lingao also criticized Tulfo for falling for fake news after he went on a profanity-laced rampage against Senator Risa Hontiveros on his radio show, in reaction to a made-up story which claimed that the lady senator praised the Maute terror group for being the “epitome of courage and resilience.”

“You ranted that I justified/defended the senator’s arguments on how to define rebellion and invasion? Huh? Read again. Maiksi lang yan, kaya mo iyan siguro,” he wrote. “Ang sabi ko, hindi totoo na tinawag niyang epitome ng courage and resilience ang Maute group. Anong bahagi dun ang hindi mo maintindihan? Ahhh oo kailangan mong ilihis para maiwasan ang sablay mo?”

“You claimed that you corrected yourself midway through your program, and thus, you are not guilty of spreading fake news. And that the fact that you read the senator’s FB post should absolve you of your brilliant ninja moves,” Lingao added. “Uhm, hijo, naka up pa ang original video ng programa mo. Panoorin mo kaya ulit. You did not correct yourself. In fact, pinanindigan mo pa ang mali mo. Nag apologize ka sa viewers by saying twice na ‘binawi’ ng senador ang sinabi niya.”

Responding to Tulfo’s accusation that he is a paid journalist, Lingao said: “Seriously hijo, do you want me to head in that direction? Baka matauhan ka. Sa mga trolls mo, ikaw ang Diyos, pero sa maliit na industriya natin, alam ng lahat kung sino ang mga ACDC at sino ang hindi.”

“Hindi ako yung mahilig gumawa ng ‘eksklusib!’ na mga storya na puro mga reklamo ng mga kontratista na natalo sa bidding, at hindi rin ako yung maraming interes sa Customs, among many other interests. Gusto mo ba talagang pagusapan iyan idol?” he added.

Lingao, who is the anchor of TV5’s late-night newscast Aksyon Tonite, also took the time to respond to Tulfo’s jab at his journalistic skills.

“Eto pa. Hindi naman daw ako magaling na manunulat o mamahayag, kasi kung magaling talaga ako (gaya ni Idol), aba eh kinuha na akong kolumnista ng malalaking dyaryo o ginawang primetime news anchor ng sikat na estasyon,” he said, adding that this perception is “wrong on so many levels.”

He continued: “Hindi ka magaling kaya ka ginawang anchor o columnist hijo. Magaling ka magbasa, o di kaya ay may following. Any journ student should tell you that is not the same thing. Marami rin sa atin na on-cam (hindi lahat), hindi naman talaga journalist. Yung iba, kahit hindi journo, may angking dunong at talino, pero yung iba, magaling lang talaga magbasa. Marami sa mga opinion makers, hindi rin journalists (and rightly so! Pero you are mixing them up) Saan mo naman nakuha ang idea na kaya ka ginawang anchor sa primetime ay dahil ikaw ang kapita-pitagang ehemplo ng journalism? Kaya nga ang daming problema sa industriya natin, dahil sa mga ganyang pagiisip na pinagmamalaki mo pa. E kaya ka pala ganyan.”

Lingao’s post, which went live Sunday morning, has so far racked up more than 9,000 likes and 2,000 shares. Read his entire post by clicking the link below.