Philippine regulator revokes licence of news website

MANILA: The Philippine corporate regulator has rescinded the operating licence of a prominent online news platform, arguing it had used a ‘deceptive scheme’ to violate the constitution’s restrictions on foreign ownership of domestic media.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said in a statement news website Rappler (www.rappler.com) as a media entity had violated foreign equity restrictions because it ‘sold control to foreigners’.

Its holding company, Rappler Holdings Corporation, existed only to effect a ‘deceptive scheme to circumvent the constitution’, the SEC said in explaining a Jan 11 ruling, which was made public yesterday. SEC Secretary Armando Pan in a text message said the decision was ‘not final and executory’ and Rappler could appeal within 15 days.

Rappler, established in July 2011, has had a rocky relationship with the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has voiced in numerous speeches his annoyance at its reporting.

Rappler said in a statement the decision was ‘pure and simple harassment’ and called it ‘the seeming coup de grace to the relentless and malicious attacks against us since 2016’.

“We intend to not only contest this through all legal processes available to us, but also to fight for our freedom to do journalism,” it said.

Duterte threatened during his State of the Nation Address last year to investigate Rappler’s ownership, accusing it of being fully American owned. — Reuters