I stand with the news and media company Rappler with the incident of barring its Palace Reporter Pia Ranada and even CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa from entering Malacañang Palace as ordered by no less than the President himself, Rodrigo Roa Duterte yesterday.
Rappler Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Editor Maria Ressa. Photo courtesy of getrealphilippines.com
Rappler Palace Reporter Pia Ranada. Photo from Rappler.com
The ban was executed by the Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea following the decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revoke Rappler's registration as a media company by issuing Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDR's) to foreign investors North Base Media (NBM) and Omidyar Network (ON) in 2015 which is also practiced by some other media and telco outfits in the country.
As Rappler has a motion filed to the Court of Appeals (CA), the SEC decision is not yet FINAL AND EXECUTORY. Which means that Rappler CAN STILL OPERATE as a media and news organization unless CA will uphold the SEC ruling that they violated the Constitution and the Anti-Dummy Law.
In this setup, it clearly shows that the ban issued by Executive Secretary Medialdea is a threat to press freedom and thus intimidating independent journalism in the country. If they had done it to Rappler, then they can do it also to some other media companies which has the same fate of issuing PDR's to foreign investors.
As to the reaction on the video trending online of Pia Ranada allegedly harassing a PSG member barring her to enter the New Executive Building to cover the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC), I think people OVERREACTED into it. As a journalist and reporter, Ranada CAN TAKE A VIDEO AND INTERVIEW/ASK the PSG officer on why she is the only one blocked to enter the Palace grounds though Rappler is accredited to attend MPC. It is ONLY HER JOB that she did. That is not harrassment. Even an ABS-CBN correspondent also followed Ranada and the officer to ask him about barring Rappler. With the PSG officer, he is also executing an order to him by his immediate supervisor. There is nothing wrong with it following orders. Like Ranada, he is only doing his job.
Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque in his first Malacañang Press Corps Briefing. Photo courtesy of PCOO.
The New Executive Building of the Malacañang Palace where the Press Briefing Room is located. Photo from wikipedia.org
I am just glad that Presidential Spokesperson Herminio "Harry" Roque, Jr. picked up Pia Ranada for her to attend the Malacañang Press Corps yesterday as he have a discretion on whether who can attend his Press Briefing. Though Roque accused Rappler of editorializing its news articles due to its report about Special Assistant to the President Bong Go in the frigate deal of Philippine Navy which was described as "fake news", I believe that Rappler will prove to the general public that they are only giving the real stories and unbiased news because they deserve no less but to know the truth and nothing but the truth.
Malacañan Palace logo in the Press Briefing Room.
So as a public school teacher, I am supporting Rappler, its Malacañang reporter Pia Ranada, CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa and some other media journalists in standing and defending press freedom.
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