MANILA – Rappler chief Maria Ressa branded her cyber libel conviction as a “cautionary tale” aimed to silence and strike fear towards the critics of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The case against us meant to be a cautionary tale, we are meant to make you afraid,” said Ressa after the verdict was read in closed-door proceedings.
She urged the Filipinos to challenge a brazen move trying to roll back the rights guaranteed in the constitution.
“This is a pivotal moment for the Philippines, and a pivotal moment not just for our democracy but for the idea of what a free press means,” the veteran journalist further said.
Ressa, who was cited by the Time magazine as a Person of the Year in 2018, cited the “unthinkable” shutdown of ABS-CBN Corp. last month and the anti-terror bill which awaits President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature.
“Sa mga Pilipinong nanonood po, hindi lang po ito tungkol sa amin. Tungkol po ito sa inyo because freedom of the press is the foundation of every right you have as a Filipino citizen,” Ressa said.
“I think we’re redefining what the new world is gonna look like, what journalism is going to become. Are we going to lose freedom of the press, will it be death by a thousand cuts, or are we going to hold the line so that we protect the rights that are enshrined in the Constitution even if power attacks you directly,” she added.
Reynaldo Santos, a former Rappler researcher and writer, was also found guilty in the case.
Santos, for his part, said he was saddened by the Manila City court’s decision, adding that others who were going against the administration could suffer the same fate.
Ressa and Santos, Jr. face six months to up to six years in prison over an article published in 2012 and allegedly “republished” in 2014. The two remain free after being granted post-conviction bail.
The cyber libel case against Ressa stemmed from a complaint by businessman Wilfredo Keng in 2017 over a Rappler story five years earlier about his alleged ties to a then-Supreme Court chief justice Renato Corona.
Ressa’s lawyer, former Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te, said they will decide what legal action to take in the next 15 days.
In a separate statement, Rappler said the judgment “sets a dangerous precedent not only for journalists but for everyone online.”
“Today marks diminished freedom and more threats to democratic rights supposedly guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution, especially in the context of a looming anti-terrorism law,” it added.
Aside from the cyber libel case, Rappler and Ressa are facing charges of tax fraud, violating the Securities Regulation Code and the Anti-Dummy Law, among others./PN
