Palace says “no one above the law” on Rappler’s revocation of registration

January 15, 2018

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Monday that curtailing freedom of the press is not the issue on the decision of the Securities and Exhange Commission (SEC) to revoke Rappler's registration.

"The issue at hand is the compliance of 100 percent Filipino ownership and management of mass media. It is not about infringement on the freedom of the press," he said in a statement.

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

He noted that the Constitution sets restrictions on the ownership and management of mass media entities to which all must abide.

He said SEC is mandated among others to regulate the corporate sector.

Some media groups have condemned SEC's decision revoking Rappler's registration, saying it was a violation of the freedom of the press enshrined in the Constitution.

The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, in a statement, expressed "deep concern" with the SEC's decision to cancel the certificate of incorporation of Rappler.

"The decision, which is tantamount to killing the online news site, sends a chilling effect to media organizations in the country," the FOCAP Board said.

"Journalists must be able to work independently in an environment free from intimidation and harassment. An assault against journalists is an assault against democracy," it added.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), on the other hand, said it is outraged over SEC's decision.

"We are sure Rappler, as it has said, is capable of mounting a legal defense against what amounts to their closure. As it does so, the NUJP declares it full support to Rappler and all other independent media outfits that the state has threatened and may threaten to shut down," the NUJP National Directorate said.

"We call on all Filipino journalists to unite and resist every and all attempts to silence us," it added.

Rappler is an online news website critical about the Duterte administration. Celerina Monte/DMS