The Malacañang Press Corps slammed Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson for writing a letter to Secretary Martin Andanar asking that online news outlet Rappler be moved to her office for social media because Rappler does not have a broadcast or print counterpart.
“The Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) is an independent organization of journalists from various news organizations assigned to regularly cover the Philippine President and Malacañang events,” the MPC responded to Uson’s letter in a statement issued last night.
Uson posted the letter on Tuesday, stating that Rappler, founded by former ABS-CBN News chief Maria Ressa, “has no counterpart print or broadcast arm,” and should, according to Uson, be considered a social media entity subjected to the accreditation process handled by her office.
“In view of the foregoing, I respectfully request that Rappler be reclassified and moved from Malacañang Press Corp. (sic) to Social Media,” Uson said in her letter to Andanar.
Photo from MOCHA USON BLOG’s Facebook page
Rappler responded in a statement and said Uson’s request was a clear violation of press freedom.
“Rappler is an independent private media company. Because the Constitution guarantees freedom of the press (Art. III, Section 4), government does not have the power to regulate independent media,” Rappler said in a statement posted on Tuesday.
The online news site, founded in 2012, added that MPC is an “independent group unattached to any government agency and is not under government control nor the supervision of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).”
The statement questions Mocha’s motives in asking Rappler be removed from an agency that isn’t even under the supervision of the PCOO and be placed under her supervision.
“Section 5 of the PCOO’s Department Order 15 is categorical: ‘Social Media accreditation shall be issued to a Filipino Citizen who is at least eighteen (18) years of age, with not less than five thousand (5,000) followers in any social media platform,’” Rappler noted.
“This clearly does not cover Rappler, Inc, which is a registered media corporation.”
The MPC’s statement defended Rappler’s membership in their organization of reporters who cover the palace. “MPC and its affairs, governed by by-laws in accordance with the constitutional provision on press freedom, is not in any way under the control and supervision of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) or any government agency,” the MPC said.
“The MPC deplores any attempt to curtail press freedom and will continue to ensure a strong free press, keep the public informed and the government in check,” it added.
The request comes after a public dispute between Rappler’s Palace reporter, Pia Ranada, filed a complaint against pro-Duterte blogger and social media influencer RJ Nieto, who manages the page Thinking Pinoy, which has over 1 million followers as of posting time.
Ranada filed a complaint against the radio station DWIZ before the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (Broadcasters Association of the Philippines) after Nieto, who has a program in the station, asked newly-appointed presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. in an interview to throw a hollow block at the Rappler reporter.
Roque and Nieto, however, point out that the comment was figurative and not meant to be taken literally.
Ranada said in a Facebook post on Nov. 3, however, that “it is irrelevant if Nieto or Roque were speaking figuratively or not”
She added, “A threat is a threat. It is beyond my comprehension why a radio station supposedly recognized by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas would allow a threat to be made against a fellow journalist by one of their hosts. It is an act of cowardice that has no place in the profession of journalism.”
Mocha is also an influential social media personality with over 5 million followers. The former dancer and singer’s following grew after she started campaigning on social media for Duterte during the campaign last year.
Her appointment has been one of the most controversial because she’s known to share articles from fake news sites.
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