Group calls the arrest a ‘desperate move of the government’

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The local chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) recently denounced the arrest of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.

Ressa was served a warrant on cyber libel charges and was arrested by NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) agents at the Rappler office in Pasig City.

The case stemmed from a story published in 2012, four months before the RA 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, was enacted.

NUJP-Bacolod called the arrest a “desperate move of the government to suppress the media and the dissent.”

They added, “The horrifying truth these days is that the government see journalists as a threat, as efforts to silence the press continue to mount.”

“The problem with this administration is it doesn’t tolerate dissent,” the organization also noted. “Critical reporting is viewed as a hostile action against the government.”

NUJP-Bacolod said the latest incident is “one of the many threats hurled against the members of the press.”/DGB, WDJ