Who is stopping Ayala Center from reopening?

It's been 11 days since the fire that gutted the Metro Ayala department store began and yet Ayala Center remains closed even up to now. I don't know what is in the mind of the Cebu fire department but tongues are wagging what could be the reason why the rest of the Ayala Center has not been given the go-signal to reopen. Yes, people are asking, who is the point person who can give Ayala the go-ahead.

While Cebu City has grown with huge shopping malls like SM City, SM Seaside City, the numerous Gaisano shopping malls and Galleria, Ayala Center plays a major role in Cebu City especially for Cebu City residents because of its central location. But the Metro Ayala department store is a separate, although attached building and frankly speaking, the authorities should now allow Ayala Center to reopen, especially as Sinulog weekend is coming.

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The big breaking news in the social media networks is that the Securities and Exchange Commission has revoked the certificate of incorporation of Rappler which is run by former CNN news anchor Maria Ressa for allegedly violating the statutory foreign equity restrictions in mass media embodied in the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

The SEC en banc found Rappler Holdings Corp. liable for violating the constitutional and statutory foreign equity restrictions in mass media enforceable through laws and rules within the mandate of the SEC. Rappler as a media source has been a vicious critic of the Duterte administration, even to the point of reporting a ridiculously high number of deaths in the Extra Judicial Killings which was quoted by the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations. When asked to explain where Rappler got those figures they did not even admit their error. But the damage has been done because the UN used that information against Pres. Duterte.

But no less than Pres. Duterte himself came out with double barrels exposing that Rappler sold a controlling stake of their company to a foreign firm dubbed the Omidyar Network, owned by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, allegations which was denied by Rappler. But the SEC found out that Pres. Duterte wasn't just talking off his mouth, as there was truth to his allegations, hence the SEC acted accordingly and with dispatch.

Meanwhile, Rappler issued an official statement saying, "We intend to not only contest this through all legal processes available to us, but also to fight for our freedom to do journalism and for your right to be heard through an independent platform like Rappler." In its spirited response to this SEC decision, Rappler said that the SEC move was a "blow to press freedom." Come now, was this really a blow to press freedom or was the SEC right in stopping a media outfit from violating the Philippine Constitution? We can have an endless debate on these issues until our voices become hoarse.

In response to the SEC decision that Rappler is owned by a foreign entity, Rappler stated that "The foreign investors merely placed money in the outfit but do not own it." Again we can go into another debate on this issue. I plunk in money to the point of controlling a corporation, yet I do not own it? Come now, are we this stupid?

In any corporation, when one buys a substantial share of the company to the point of getting controlling shares, that person who bought the controlling shares gets to own or manage this company. So where does the blow against press freedom come in? If foreigners cannot own controlling shares in a media outfit in this country, then the SEC did right in revoking the certificate of incorporation of Rappler.

Let me end this with a statement from presidential spokesman Harry Roque who said, "On the issue of freedom of the press, the Constitution sets restrictions on the ownership and management of mass media entities to which all must abide. The Securities and Exchange Commission is mandated among others to regulate the corporate sector. 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."

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