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The case, filed after Rappler pointed out former President Rodrigo Duterte, one of several facing the media outlet, and his co-founder, Nobel laureate Maria Ressa.
By Sui-Lee Wee
A Philippine court overturned a ruling against independent media outlet Rappler and ordered the reinstatement of the company’s business license, the company said on Friday, in a rare victory for the informal press in Southeast Asia.
The case is one of a dozen criminal and civil cases filed through the government of former President Rodrigo Duterte opposed to Rappler and its co-founder, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, as well as members of its board of directors. management and its staff. The fees are accompanied by tax evasion, violation of foreign property rules, and cyber defamation.
Rappler had angered Duterte with its investigation into his brutal war on drugs. Ressa told The Times in 2022 that the instances against her and Rappler were “harassment and intimidation. “
The most recent resolution is the most significant case facing Rappler, similar to the revocation of its operating license in 2018. The reversal ordered through the Securities and Exchange Commission, which said an investment through Omidyar Network, owned by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, violated restrictions on foreign ownership of domestic media. (The Constitution prohibits foreign entities from owning domestic media in the Philippines. )
Rappler continued to work while awaiting final results of the case, but the order added to the difficult situations he faced.
In 2020, the S. E. C. affirmed its previous order. Rappler then argued that investing in Omidyar Network was not the same as owning stock, did not give the company its operations, and did not violate the law. Rappler has vowed to take the case to the Court of Appeals.
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