The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) welcomes the acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler Holdings Corp. at the Court of Tax Appeals.
The cases against Maria and Rappler illustrate the increasing use of the law for reprisal against and for intimidation against journalists and civil society.
“We congratulate Maria and Rappler for this legal victory and for their resoluteness and perseverance in the face of the cases” the NUJP said in a statement.
“While colleagues similarly face legal challenges from libel to made-up terrorism charges, in relation to their work, we take inspiration from this acquittal that if we stand up and hold the line, we can win” it added.
Meanwhile, former lawmaker and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares also welcomes the acquittal of Maria Ressa on tax charges. He said that the decision is a victory for press freedom albeit the struggle still continues against fake news, red tagging and repression.
The former solon also said “May this embolden our journalists to hold the line in their fight for truth and in fulfilling their role as the people’s advocates for transparency and accountability”
“Let this serve as a reminder that dictatorships will never succeed. We must not let our guard down as fascists who are intolerant of dissent are again occupying key positions in the Marcos Jr. administration itching to ram their kind of thinking on the populace” Colmenares ended.
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