Philippines issues tepid congratulations to Nobel winner Ressa
THE Philippine government on Monday finally congratulated journalist Maria Ressa for winning a Nobel Peace Prize, but noted that she still faces criminal charges in the country.
“We congratulate Maria Ressa for being the first Filipino to win the Nobel Peace Prize,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said, three days after the award was announced.
“It’s a victory for a Filipina and we are very happy for that.” “But of course, it is true that there are individuals who feel that Maria Ressa still has to clear her name before our courts,” he added.
“In fact, she’s a convicted felon for cyber libel in the Philippines and she faces other cases in the Philippines.”
Ressa’s conviction for cyber libel is under appeal, and she is out on bail. She faces up to six years in jail if the guilty verdict is not overturned.
Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov were awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the pair were “representatives of all journalists ... in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.”
Roque said the decision of the Nobel Committee should not be viewed as a rebuke of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has often criticized Ressa and her news website Rappler and alleged they have spread fake news.
Rappler has reported extensively on Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs, which has left more than 7,000 people dead since 201 , as well as published critical reports on the president’s policies and political allies.
“Certainly not. It is not a slap on the government,” Roque said.
“There is no slap there because as everyone knows no one has ever been censored in the Philippines.”