MANILA – Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa gained temporary liberty on Thursday after posting a P100,000 bail for her cyber libel case over an article that was published in the online news outfit in 2012.
Ressa was released yesterday afternoon after her dues were paid at around noon at the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 46. She stayed at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) office on Wednesday after failing to post bail.
“I have posted bail six times. I will pay more bail than convicted criminals. I will post my bail then come back,” said Ressa.
“If somehow the government feels that by keeping me the night, they can intimidate me, no, we will hold the line,” she added.
Ressa also branded the issuance of arrest warrant against her as “travesty of justice” as the news article came out months before the passage of the anti-cybercrime law in the country.
“The case is ridiculous and the fact that they issued an arrest warrant is a travesty of justice,” Ressa said. “This is something that journalists of the Philippines now have to go through.”
She added: “If they want to send me a message, the message is clear – it’s an abuse of power. It’s a weaponization of the law. If they want to scare me, this isn’t the way to do it. Follow the rule of law.”
Ressa’s lawyer JJ Disini, for his part, said they plan to appeal the warrant of arrest issued by Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa of the Manila RTC Branch 46 as the case was riddled with deficiencies.
“Marami pong parang deficiencies iyung position po ng prosecution kaya plano po naming maghain ng motion to quash,” Disini said in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo on Thursday morning.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng in relation to an article published by Rappler titled “CJ using SUVs of controversial businessman” during the impeachment trial of former chief justice Renato Corona.
Based on the news report of former Rappler reporter Reynaldo Santos Jr., Keng has allegedly lend his black Chevrolet Suburban to Corona, who was then facing an impeachment complaint.
Rappler reported that the SUV, which bore the plate number ZWK 111, was registered under Keng at the Land Transportation Office. While Keng admitted ZWK 111 was his, he said he does not own the SUV Corona had been using.
Aside from the cyber libel case, Ressa is also facing tax-related cases before the Court of Tax Appeals and the Pasig Regional Trial Court./PN
