Do they know what they are talking about???
Have they read the news? I mean the correct and not
fabricated news or more popularly known as “Fake News”. The decision of the Securities Exchange
Commission (SEC) to revoke Rappler’s license last January 11 is in very well
grounded in Philippine law, and mind them its not just any law it’s the fundamental
law of the land- the 1987 Philippine Constitution.!
Even the National
Press Club made a statement regarding the matter, it said: “As the SEC noted,
Rappler breached this constitutional limit when it allowed Omidyar to exercise
control over its corporate affairs as provided for in their internal agreement,
in exchange for a fund infusion of US$ 1 million dollars,” and “To say that the
fate of one media entity found to have run afoul with the law translates to
media repression in the country is stretching the argument a bit too much,” NPC
President Paul Gutierrez said. *
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| Maria Ressa of Rappler (photo credit to owner) |
These so called United Nations human rights experts headed
by special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes
Callamard – Do they even read and try to understand the law that Rappler broke
that led to the revocation of its license?!
They have called on the Philippine government to allow independent
news website Rappler to operate, voicing concern at rising rhetoric against
voices critical of President Rodrigo Duterte.
"We are gravely concerned that the government is moving
to revoke Rappler’s licence," three U.N. human rights experts said in a
joint statement. "We are especially concerned that this move against
Rappler comes at a time of rising rhetoric against independent voices in the
country."
Theseso called experts further expoused that : "Rappler’s
work rests on its own freedom to impart information, and more importantly its
vast readership to have access to its public interest reporting,” and that
there was no existing international human rights law that makes Rappler to stop
its operations- "Rappler and other independent outlets need particular
protection because of the essential role they play in ensuring robust public
debate."
It has been explained many times over by Malacañan that they
didn’t have a hand in the revocation of Rappler’s license to operate, the composition
of the board that comprises the Securities and Exchange Commission majority of
which were appointed by former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III ( only 1 of
the 5 is a Duterte appointee), and that the SEC grounded its decision from the
1987 Constitution following the Foreign Equity Restriction rule which states
that "(t)he ownership and management of mass media shall be limited to
citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations, cooperatives or associations,
wholly-owned and managed by such citizens." *
Filipino diplomats based in Geneva have not made any comment
on the statement issued by these experts, which were made by the following, David
Kaye, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and
expression, Michel Forst, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights defenders,
and Agnes Callamard, U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions.
Report from ABS-CBN News
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