Rappler cries harassment over SEC closure order

Online news site Rappler is crying harassment after it was ordered closed by the corporate regulator Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In a decision released by the SEC en banc, it found Rappler Inc., a mass media entity, liable for violating the constitutional and foreign equity restrictions in mass media.


Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, in a press conference, said the SEC ruling did not go through due process.

"They didn't go through due process. The en banc, essentially, issued an order to shut us down without giving us the opportunity to respond to what the special panel found. It wasn't a normal process," she said.

She also believes that the recent decision is the final step in the harassment that journalists are facing under the Duterte administration.

"I guess this is the last part of the kind of harassment that journalists have had in the last year or so. In Rappler, it began a year and a half ago," Ressa said.

"We stand tall. We stand firm. It's good. This is a moment we say we stand for press freedom," she said.

Ressa added that they will fight the decision and bring it to court.

"What we will do is prepare to fight. Our lawyers are preparing our next step."

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque denied that the administration is harassing the press, and urged Rappler to comply with the law.

"The Constitution sets restrictions on the ownership and management of mass media entities to which all must abide," Roque said.

"The issue at hand is the compliance of 100% Filipino ownership and management of mass media. It is not about infringement on the freedom of the press.

"No one is above the law. Rappler has to comply."

Meanwhile, the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) and the Movement Against Tyranny (MAT) expressed their support for Rappler.

FOCAP said the SEC decision against Rappler "sends a chilling effect to media organizations in the country."

"Journalists must be able to work independently in an environment free from intimidation and harassment. An assault against journalists is an assault against democracy," the group said in a statement.

MAT, likewise, warned the public that the decision versus Rappler is "a preview of what's in store for media under an openly-fascist Duterte dictatorship."

"Media outlets would be slapped with questionable cases, their registration revoked and accreditation taken back — simply because Duterte and his DDS media network perceive them as critical of the regime," the group said in a Facebook post.

The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) also expressed its support for Rappler.


Meanwhile, both supporters and critics of Rappler took to social media to express their views on the controversy.

While there are some who warned against a possible crackdown on news organizations, some supported the move against Rappler, accusing the news site of espousing "fake news."


Rappler is one of several news organizations that has earned the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte for critical reporting on issues hounding his administration, including the bloody war on drugs.

Late last year, Rappler launched a fund drive asking supporters to help them "stay free and independent of political pressure and commercial interests."

The campaign has collected P1.175 million in nearly 4 months.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Binay avoids media after talk with bishops

MANILA - Vice-President Jejomar Binay was still elusive to media a day after President Benigno Aquino's statement saying Binay can leave the Cabinet if he feels he's no longer happy to be a part of the Aquino administration.

Aquino has said that Binay is obliged as the government's number 2 man to present solutions to the problems that the country is facing, but never did in any meeting that they have had.

Binay refused to talk about politics Tuesday morning at an event of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines in Marikina.

He told reporters he will give an interview after his scheduled 2 p.m. dialogue with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines at Arzobispado de Manila in Intramuros.

Binay arrived at 2:08 p.m. for the meeting. A staff of the vice-president said bishops wanted the meeting to be private, without media coverage.

But the vice-president's staff said Binay will leave the Arzobispado by foot and will grant interview to reporters before boarding his car.

At 4:29pm, Binay's white Land Cruiser slowly moved out from the gate of Arzobispado, with news crews tailing the vehicle.

A couple of meters from the gate, Binay's vehicle stopped, the passenger's door slightly opened but moved again, this time faster towards a waiting security vehicle, before making a turn at the corner and vanishing from the media's eyes.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

ABS-CBN journalists granted international fellowships

MANILA--ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs journalists have been awarded international journalism fellowships and scholarships.

"Magandang Gabi Dok" anchor and reporter Niña Corpuz has been chosen to participate in the United Nations Foundations 2013 Global Issues Press Fellowship program in New York City -- the only Southeast Asian journalist to join the fellowship.

"I hope to use this opportunity to share our Philippine experience and bring to the international stage our concerns and efforts in health care," Corpuz said.

On the other hand, Senate beat reporter Ryan Chua was awarded the prestigious Chevening scholarship.

Chua is the only media practitioner among his batch of scholars.

"I plan to do this by regularly pitching and pursuing stories that matter to the Philippines and the rest of the world," he said.

Meanwhile, defense and disaster reporter Jeff Canoy is currently attending the Malaysian Press Institute’s International Journalism Fellowship in Kuala Lumpur.

Canoy said the fellowship trains participants to become a "one-man team" during coverage and deliver news on different media platforms.

"The fellowship is all about the future, where journalism is heading, one-man teams covering the news equipped with tech-savvy skills and strong sense of ethics,” said Canoy.

Recently, "Bandila" executive producer Paul Henson flew to the United States to join the World Press Institute's international journalism program.

"Interacting with top global journalists and industry leaders is such an intellectual and cultural stimulation. I take pride in being a Filipino journalist, but this program also makes me realize that Philippine media has so much more catching up to do to become mature and responsive as an industry and in step with the changing times," shared Henson.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com