By Frances Pio
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Pinanindigan ng Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ang naunang desisyon nitong ipasara ang online news organization na Rappler, inihayag ng CEO nitong si Maria Ressa nitong Miyerkules.
Inihayag ito ng 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate sa kanyang talumpati sa East-West Center International Media Conference sa Hawaii.
“In an order dated June 28, our Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) affirmed its earlier decision to revoke the certificates of incorporation of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holding Corporation,… We were notified by our lawyers of this ruling that effectively confirmed the shutdown of Rappler,” ayon sa opisyal na pahayag ng Rappler.
Kinumpirma ng SEC ang pagpapalabas ng kanilang kautusan makalipas ang ilang oras, na inuulit ang sinabi ng Rappler na dahil sa “violation of constitutional and statutory restrictions on foreign ownership in mass media.”
“The Company Registration and Monitoring Department is hereby directed to effect the revocation of the Certificates of Incorporation of Rappler, Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corp. in the records and system of the Commission,” binabanggit sa bahagi ng ika-12 pahina ng utos, binanggit din ang paglabag sa Constitution at Presidential Decree 1018, na naglilimita sa pagmamay-ari at pamamahala ng mass media sa mga Filipino Citizens.
Noong 2018, iniutos ng SEC na kanselahin ang certificate of incorporation ng Rappler, na sinasabing pinahintulutan ng news organization ang foreign investor na Omidyar Network, isang investment company na pag-aari ng eBay auction site founder na si Pierre Omidyar, na humawak ng Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs), isang instrumento sa pananalapi na mga dayuhan.