Human Rights Watch: Ban on Rappler reporter could be hint of broader assault on media to come

An international human rights group on Wednesday said that the ban on Rappler reporter Pia Ranada from covering Malacañang could be a sign of a widening assault on media by the Duterte administration.

"It could portend a broader assault on journalists and news organizations, whose critical watchdog role has magnified the government’s poor human rights record, from extrajudicial killings of thousands of alleged drug dealers and users to conflict-related abuses in the south," Human Rights Watch researcher Carlos Conde said in a statement.

Ranada on Tuesday was briefly barred from entering the New Executive Building (NEB), where the press briefing room and press working area are located. She was later allowed into the NEB, but not to the Palace.

Ranada later said that it was Duterte himself who banned her from Malacañang.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea has said the ban stemmed from the Securities and Exchange Commission's revocation of Rappler's incorporation papers for supposedly violating the constitutional prohibition on foreign ownership of mass media.

The revocation of Rappler's Malacañang accreditation came a day after Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go accused the online news site of "irresponsible reporting" on the P15.5-billion frigate procurement project of the Philippine Navy.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque on Wednesday said that Duterte banned Ranada because he was upset about its news reports.

“So tanging ang Rappler lamang ang talagang nabanas ang Presidente dahil hindi na katotohanan ang nire-report ng Rappler. Fiction na, kaya nga fake news na ang tinatawag,” Roque said.

However, Conde claimed that Ranada's ban is part of an "organized campaign against critical journalists," saying the Rappler reporter herself often drew the ire of Duterte.

"Ranada has been covering the presidential beat as a member of the Malacañang Press Corps. She has become known not just for putting tough questions to the president during press briefings, but also for being the target of presidential ire," Conde said.

Conde urged Filipinos to stand up in support of press freedom especially now that the country will commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power.

"Filipinos this week celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the 1986 People Power uprising that led to the ouster of Marcos, inspiring the world. They should also take this opportunity to show their support for a free press," he said. — BM, GMA News