Philippine news site Rappler ordered to shut down ahead of Duterte’s exit – but vows to carry on

The site co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa has fought for survival after being accused of tax evasion and violating a foreign-ownership ban

Ressa on Wednesday vowed to keep the site running, telling reporters ‘it is business as usual’ and that they would ‘hope for the best’ under Duterte’s successor

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Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, who co-founded Rappler, speaks to members of the media as she arrives at a court in Manila last year. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:13am, 29 Jun 2022Updated: 4:58pm, 29 Jun 2022

A Philippine news site co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa has been ordered to shut down, the company said on Wednesday, a day before President Rodrigo Duterte – its arch-nemesis – leaves office.

Ressa has been a vocal critic of Duterte and the deadly drug war he launched in 2016, triggering what media advocates say is a grinding series of criminal charges, investigations and online attacks against her and Rappler.

The latest blow was delivered by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a statement on Wednesday, it confirmed the “revocation of the certificates of incorporation” of Rappler for violating “constitutional and statutory restrictions on foreign ownership in mass media”.

Rappler said the decision “effectively confirmed the shutdown” of the company and vowed to appeal, describing the proceedings as “highly irregular”.

But Ressa was characteristically defiant, vowing the news site would continue to operate as they followed the legal process. “We continue to work, it is business as usual,” Ressa told reporters, adding “we can only hope for the best” under Duterte’s successor Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.

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