Int’l Journalists Support Rappler; Condemn SEC; Ask UN, ASEAN To Address The Issue

International group of journalists voiced out their support to Rappler against SEC’s decision and called on the UN and ASEAN to address the issue

Following the decision of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revoke the registration of the news website Rappler, various reactions from Filipinos in different walks of life had been expressed.

Some people have already took their sides regarding the issue just like what a previous report said about Senators as well as several celebrities who expressed their support for the news site.

SEC against Rappler
Rappler CEO Maria Ressa (Thinking Pinoy)

According to SEC, Rappler has violated the restriction on foreign ownership of local media, the anti-dummy law, the corporation code, and the Securities Regulation Code which was denied by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maria Ressa.

Now, an international group of journalists voiced out their thoughts about the government agency’s revocation of Rappler’s license, based on the report of Inquirer.

Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters without Borders or RSF), which is based in France, asked United Nations (UN), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to address the matter.

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According to the RSF, what the Philippine government did to the news website is a flagrant violation of media freedom.

RSF deputy director-general Antoine Bernard said that danger comes along with the decision of the government agency to revoke the registration of the social news website.

“We are very concerned about the safety of its journalists and the protection of their sources, especially as Rappler is well known for the quality of its investigative reporting,” the journalist said.

Furthermore, RSF’s Asia Pacific desk head Daniel Bastard said that the troll army of the Duterte administration is responsible in spreading the rumors that Rappler is owned by foreigners.

“The president is clearly trying to exploit nationalist sentiment in order to silence a media outlet that annoys his clique. But the legal grounds offered for this decision are contradicted by the hard facts,” Bastard said, based on the report.

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