Duterte nothing to do with SEC revocation of Rappler’s license, Palace says

January 16, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte has nothing to do with the revocation of registration of online news website Rappler by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Malacanang said on Tuesday. In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said it was unfair for Rappler to insist that its closure was a result of the President's dislike over the agency, which has been critical of the administration. "He (Duterte) did not like the fact that Rappler was saying that this is a result of the President's dislike for Rappler. Of course not. He has nothing to do with this decision. He was not even aware that this decision was coming up," he said. He also hit Rappler CEO Maria Ressa for saying that the SEC's order was an attack to press freedom. "The President found it unfair for Maria Ressa to claim violation of freedom of the press when, according to him, Rappler has been very active criticizing individuals for violating the Constitution and the laws of the land, and it turns out it is violating the Constitution," Roque stressed. In defending the decision of SEC, Roque said Rappler issued Philippine Depository Receipts in favor of foreign investors. “You see here an instance where although they are not shareholders, nonetheless, the holders of the PDRs are given the same right to control the company in terms of amending the articles and by-laws,” he explained. SEC, in its decision, said that Rappler, Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corp., a mass media entity and its alter ego, were liable for violating the constitutional and statutory foreign equity restriction in mass media. It said that Rappler's funds come from Omidyar Network, a fund created by eBay founder and entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar. Roque also denied that SEC was influenced by Malacanang despite request by the Office of the Solicitor General to look into the news website's incorporation. "I think that's a disservice to SEC," he said, noting that among the SEC commissioners, only one was appointed by Duterte, and the rest were appointees by the Aquino administration. Celerina Monte/DMS