Philippines: CFWIJ Welcomes The Withdrawal Of The Defamation Charges Against Maria Ressa
Location: Philippines
Date: June 2, 2021
Rappler CEO and executive director, Maria Ressa, was cleared in the defamation case filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng. The charges were formally dismissed by Makati judge Andres Soriano in open court on Tuesday, June, 1. The case against Maria Ressa was the second libel case filed by Wilfredo Keng.
The first was filed against a Rappler story published in 2012, which led to a conviction against Maria in a Manila court. Keng filed his motion for dismissal on May 25, seeking an excuse from further appearances and participation in the case for him and his witnesses. CFWIJ welcomes the decision and demands that all the baseless charges against Maria Ressa be dropped. We believe that such cases are often politically driven rather than grounded in truth or fact.
In his motion, Keng said that upon careful reflection, he chose to focus on matters of the pandemic rather than moving forward with the court case. Keng filed the second libel case against Maria for tweeting the screenshots of an old Philippine Star article about him. The article was quoted in a 2012 Rappler story, though Philstar.com had already taken it down, fearing legal action by Wilfredo Keng. The case was widely contested as the Rappler CEO had merely shared the screenshots of the story, but she did not write it.
After the latest dismissal, Maria shared, “I am glad to hear the news. I look forward to seeing the rest of the cases against me and Rappler in the future”. Maria is currently facing eight other charges in the court of tax appeals, the Pasig City regional trial court, and the Manila regional trial court. They are as following:
Appeal in process is in the process for the June 2020 conviction of Maria Ressa in the Court of Appeals. The lower courts’ verdict was based on a complaint filed by Wilfredo Keng.
A cyber libel case filed by Ariel Pineda, a Benilde faculty member. The case was filed by Manila prosecutors in RTC Branch 24 against Maria Ressa and reporter Rambo Talabong.
Four cases of consolidated tax against Maria and Rappler Holdings Corporation (RHC) in the Court of Tax Appeals.
Tax evasion case against Maria and RHC at the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue is investigating Rappler incorporation and Rappler Holdings Corporation for alleged tax evasion.
Her legal counsel Ted Te did not object to the motion filed by Keng. He stated they were prepared to face the charges, but this withdrawal of the case is a welcoming development. It was done voluntarily by the complainant, which led the prosecutor to ask for a dismissal.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands judicial authorities in the Philippines to drop all the unfounded charges against Maria Ressa. We have dedicated an in-focus page for the several statements and developments we have recorded relating to the journalist. The detailed Maria Ressa timeline also presents the facts and history of all threats and intimidations against the journalist.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.