In a new blow to press freedom in the Philippines, the country's authorities have confirmed an earlier order to shut down the Rappler news portal, co-founded by journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa. The outlet, known for its critical stance towards President Rodrigo Duterte and its extensive coverage of his bloody war on drugs, can still appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
The news was advanced by Ressa herself during a speech at the International Media Conference at the East-West Center in Honololu, Hawaii. "Part of the reason I didn't get much sleep last night is because we basically got a lockdown order," she told the audience. Even so, she advanced that they plan to continue working. “We are not going to close,” she added.
In a statement, the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed the revocation of the news portal's registration. In its brief, the regulatory body maintains that Rappler has violated the restrictions imposed in the country on the ownership of media in the hands of foreign entities, as they have maintained in other previous judicial decisions issued since 2018. The news portal always He has denied those allegations.
For its part, Rappler confirmed in a statement that it will appeal the decision, adding that the procedures followed by the commission were "highly irregular." The media columnist JC Punongbayan spoke along the same lines, tweeting that the order "was not immediate or enforceable" and that the newsroom continues with his activity.
After a long career as a correspondent for the CNN channel and then news director of the ABS-CBN channel, the largest in the Philippines, Ressa launched the foundation in 2012 with other colleagues from the Rappler media outlet, which they aspired to become the largest digital newspaper of all the Philippines.
In those years, the portal has stood out for its work to combat disinformation and uncover the abuses of the campaign of extrajudicial murders protected by the bloody war on drugs promoted by Duterte, who this Thursday will end his only six-year term as president of the country. His position will be occupied by Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, who swept the last elections after a successful campaign to whitewash the legacy of his father, former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
That critical stance has cost them the enmity of the authorities, who for years have sponsored a campaign of judicial harassment to close the portal. In addition, the newsroom's newsroom, made up mostly of young women, and particularly its director, have been the target of continuous online harassment campaigns, including numerous rape and death threats.
In addition to the campaign against Rappler, Ressa has also suffered judicial harassment for years and has a handful of criminal cases pending in court, in addition to an appeal of a sentence of six years and six months in prison for cyber libel.
Her informative work has earned her numerous awards over the years, and last year she was named the Nobel Peace Prize along with the Russian journalist Dimitry Muratov for her defense of freedom of expression.
