Roque to Rappler: Fix ownership, reporting issues before calling for press freedom

MANILA, Philippines — News website Rappler should fix its reporting and ownership issues first before crying for press freedom in the country, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Wednesday. 

In a statement, the president’s mouthpiece stressed that the ban on Rapper and its reporter Pia Ranada from covering President Rodrigo Duterte’s activities was not an attack on the freedom of the press.

Rather, Roque said that this stemmed from Rappler’s uncertain status as a Filipino corporation and its alleged proclivity to spread so-called “fake news.”

READ: Roque: Rappler reporter lost trust of president

“Let us be clear: The case of Rappler is not an attack on press freedom. Ms. Ranada’s accreditation, which would give her access to Palace activities, lies on Rappler’s accreditation,” Roque said, using the case of the Philippine Daily Inquirer to show that hard-hitting news outfits can still cover the president’s engagements. 

Reymund Tinaza, president of Malacañang Press Corps, said that Ranada’s membership of the body remained for now pending the ruling of the court on Rappler’s ownership case.

Following an assembly of its members this afternoon, Tinaza stressed that the accreditation of reporters for membership remained a “discretion” of MPC.

He added that although they recognized the power and jurisdiction of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, it should provide MPC with “prior notice stating a clear basis” if it would ban another reporter in the future. 

Ranada was banned from the presidential palace on Tuesday after the president supposedly lost trust in her news organization over its alleged publication of “fake news.”

Roque said that Duterte got “irritated” with Ranada and Rappler and this led to the imposition of the ban. 

However, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea explained that the president was forced to enforced the shutdown order of the Securities and Exchange Commission on Rappler over its ownership issues. 

This episode came just weeks after the SEC, in ordering Rappler’s shutdown, said that the news outfit violated the country’s ban on foreign ownership of local media companies by taking investments from Omidyar Network. 

It has denied claims that it has ceded ownership to Omidyar in its investment arrangement with the company and challenged the SEC ruling before a court.

According to Roque, Rappler could have avoided its present “predicament” by securing a temporary restraining order from the court or by becoming a Filipino corporation. 

“Unfortunately, Rappler failed to obtain a TRO and failed to show that it is a Filipino entity,” he said.

“We gave Rappler sufficient opportunity to rectify the infraction of ownership rules or obtain judicial relief, but instead of doing so it spent time and resources to foment false news and opted to twist the facts like it often does,” he added. 

Roque said that the palace gave the news outfit sufficient time to rectify its legal issues and continued access to the president even after the SEC decision in the hope of fixing trust issues. 

“However, it became apparent that Rappler is more interested in spreading fake news, and as yesterday’s incident demonstrated, it would rather sensationalize the issue of non-entry in Malacanang rather than comply with the rules,” he said. 

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