President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he was “invoking executive action” when he issued directive to ban Rappler’s reporter Pia Ranada from covering Malacañang events. Duterte said Rappler’s reporters would be allowed to cover again his events if the Securities and Exchange Commission would declare it 100 percent Filipino-owned online news outfit. “Because it is… Full Story »
press freedom philippines
Rappler shutdown prompts criticism and free press fears
Amnesty International has led a chorus of criticism after online news website Rappler was ordered to shut down. It was announced today (Monday, January 15) that the Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revoked Rappler’s Certificate of Incorporation, accusing it of violating constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership. Legally, all mass media outlets in the… Full Story »
Government news agency slammed for “fake news”
The government-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) vowed to tighten up procedures after a photo from the Vietnam war was used to illustrate an article about the Marawi City crisis. In a statement, the PNA said: “Rest assured we have dealt with our erring personnel and that we are reviewing our procedures on reportage as we… Full Story »
Solicitor General plans prosecutions amid claims of ‘destabilisation plot’
Solicitor General Jose Calida has revealed plans to prosecute unnamed people for an alleged plot to destabilise the Duterte administration. He said: “There are obviously many attempts to bring down the president, which are obviously part of a grand plan. Now, they are doing it before the international community to gather attention and sympathy,” he… Full Story »
Duterte threatens to block renewal of ‘critical’ TV station’s franchise
President Duterte has intensified his fight against the media by seeking to block the renewal of ABS-CBN’s broadcasting franchise. Responding to questions today (Thursday, April 27), the president accused the network of “swindling,” claiming it failed to show his political ads during the election campaign even though they had been paid for. “The franchise has been… Full Story »
