Connect with us

Headline

UN rapporteurs back Rappler; urge gov’t to protect independent media

Published

on

The UN experts added that there is no basis to block Rappler from operating instead independent outlets. (Photo: United Nations Photo/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The UN experts added that there is no basis to block Rappler from operating instead independent outlets. (Photo: United Nations Photo/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

United Nations Human Rights (UNHR) called on the Philippine government to protect and promote independent media amid sprouting issue on press freedom in connection with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s decision to revoke the license of online news site Rappler for violating the constitutional and statutory foreign equity restrictions in mass media.

“We urge the Government to return to its path of protection and promotion of independent media, especially those covering issues in the public interest,” said the three Special Rapporteurs in a joint statement.

online pharmacy purchase prelone without prescription with best prices today in the USA

The three Special Rapporteurs are Agnes Callamard, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; David Kaye, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and Michel Forst, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

The council expressed serious alarm on government’s alleged effort to shut down independent media outlets in the Philippines, an accusation that President Rodrigo Duterte earlier belied.

The Palace also refuted the accusations that the Duterte administration has participated with the license revocation of Rappler saying that the Constitution itself stated that any ownership of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines.

“We are gravely concerned that the government is moving to revoke Rappler’s license,” said the three Special Rapporteurs in a joint statement.

The UN experts added that there is no basis to block Rappler from operating, instead independent outlets “need particular protection because of the essential role they play in ensuring robust public debate.

online pharmacy purchase zepbound without prescription with best prices today in the USA

“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,” the UN experts said.

The UN experts noted that the SEC’s decision is at odds with its past approach to foreign support of local or national media, “given that philanthropic contributions do not amount to foreign ownership.”

On January 11, the commission en banc said that Rappler Inc. and its parent Rappler Holdings Corp. violated the Foreign Equity Restriction in Article XVI, Section 11(1) of the Constitution which states, “The 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.”

“We are especially concerned that this move against Rappler comes at a time of rising rhetoric against independent voices in the country,” the UN experts concluded.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Lifestyle13 hours ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle1 month ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle2 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver3 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver3 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

My Love Affair With Pearls

On March 18, 2023, my article, The Power of Pearls was published. In that article, I wrote about the history...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

7 Creative Ways to Propose!

Sometime in April 2022, my significant other gave me a heads up: he will be proposing to me on May...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

Why Eating Healthy Matters

We are what we eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy, or fake — we should take these words to...