The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) sent subpoenas to Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and a former reporter yesterday for a cybercrime complaint filed by a businessman who was the subject of a Rappler investigative report back in 2012.
Businessman Wilfredo Keng filed the complaint against Rappler for allegedly publishing false information about him. The story was written by Reynaldo Santos Jr., a journalist who is no longer with Rappler.
The story reported that Keng was involved in cases of drug smuggling, human trafficking, and murder. Rappler looked into Keng’s background after finding out that he allegedly owned a vehicle linked to then Chief Justice Renato Corona who was undergoing an impeachment trial at the time.
Keng denies that he was the owner of the vehicle Corona used.
Apart from Ressa and Santos, businessman Benjamin Bitanga was also sent a subpoena. Bitanga owns a company that is a Rappler shareholder but according to the news website, it is his son that sits on the board.
The three are expected to attend an investigation by the NBI’s cybercrime division this coming Monday.
Rappler slammed the NBI probe and called it a “fishing expedition.”
“This is a fishing expedition, and pure and simple harassment. We thought this was supposed to be in relation to PDRs and the alleged violation of the Constitution,” Rappler said in a statement.
“It’s all the more clear and blatant what government’s agenda is: they’re deadset to get Rappler and kill press freedom,” they added.
The investigation comes only days after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked Rappler’s license to operate. The SEC ruled that Rappler violated the Philippine Constitution — that states media companies need to be 100 percent Filipino-owned — because it had two foreign investors.
Rappler explained, though, that these entities made use of Philippine Depository Receipts that allowed them to invest in local businesses without having ownership. Rappler also said that these foreign investors do not have control over their editorial content.
Many think the investigation and SEC ruling violate press freedom, which the government denies.
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