Courts set arraignment of Rappler’s Ressa

MANILA, Philippines — A Pasig City court has set the arraignment of journalist Maria Ressa in the anti-dummy case against her stemming from foreign ownership in online news outfit Rappler and its holding firm.

The Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 265 summoned Ressa to a hearing on May 2 where she would be asked to enter her plea in the latest criminal case filed against her and other Rappler executives.

The RTC is expected to quickly hear and resolve the case as the presiding judge, Acerey Pacheco, has a low backlog rate.

Pacheco issued an arrest warrant for Ressa on March 28, just a day after the case was raffled to his branch and two days after it was filed by the Pasig Prosecutor’s Office on March 26. 

Ressa was arrested early morning of March 29 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The other accused – managing editor Glenda Gloria and Rappler’s 2016 board members Manuel Ayala, James Bitanga, Nico Jose Nolledo, James Velasquez and Felicia Atienza – had posted bail to avoid arrest. 

The other defendants in this case were arraigned last week. All of them pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The separate case on violations of the Securities Code was ordered by Pacheco for re-raffling to a special commercial court in the Pasig RTC.

The anti-dummy case against Ressa stemmed from the complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation last year after foreign ownership of Rappler and its holding firm was discovered.

The anti-dummy law prohibits foreigners from intervening in any “nationalized activity” such as the operation of a media company, which should have 100-percent Filipino control under the 1987 Constitution. Violators could face imprisonment of five to 15 years.

Meanwhile, a Manila RTC has also set the arraignment of Ressa in the separate cyber libel case filed against her and other Rappler executives.

In a resolution issued last April 12, Manila RTC Branch 46 set the hearing today after it rejected the bid of Ressa for immediate dismissal of the case.

Judge Rainelda  Montesa said the Department of Justice was able to “sufficiently establish” the elements of cyber libel in the case.

This case involves an article of Rappler linking businessman Wilfredo Keng to alleged criminal activities such as human trafficking and drug smuggling.