SolGen prompted probe of Rappler’s alleged violations of constitution on foreign ownership —SEC

The Office of the Solicitor General was the agency that prompted the Securities and Exchange Commission to look into Rappler for a possible violation of foreign ownership.

In its January 11 decision, the SEC said that its Commission En Banc received on December 22, 2016 a letter from the OSG dated December 14 that same year requesting it to conduct an investigation into Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corporation "for any possible contravention of the strict requirements of the 1987 Constitution."

In revoking Rappler's license to operate, the SEC cited the Foreign Equity Restriction of the Philippine Constitution, which states that "(t)he ownership and management of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations, cooperatives or associations, wholly-owned and managed by such citizens."

Rappler in a statement posted on its website said that it would contest the decision and exhaust all legal means to do so.

President Rodrigo Duterte in his second State of the Nation Address in July 2017 questioned Rappler's ownership.

He claimed that the online news outlet was not fully owned by Filipinos as required by the 1987 Constitution for media entities. —NB, GMA News