Supreme Court ends case on SEC order to revoke Rappler's incorporation papers

The Supreme Court has formally terminated the case involving a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) order seeking to revoke the certificates of incorporation of digital media company Rappler Inc.

In a two-page notice, the SC Third Division announced it issued a resolution on January 20, 2026, granting the Office of the Solicitor General’s (OSG) motion to withdraw its motion for extension. 

The OSG’s motion sought an extension to file a petition for review on certiorari, in connection with an earlier decision by the Court of Appeals (CA) which nullified the SEC’s decision to void Rappler’s incorporation papers. 

“The Court further resolves to…declare this case closed and terminated and the parties informed accordingly,” the resolution read. 

With this, the Court noted without action the OSG’s motion for a 30-day extension of the reglamentary period to file a petition. 

In 2018, the SEC revoked the certificates of Rappler and Rappler Holdings Corp. for supposedly violating foreign ownership restrictions on mass media companies.

SEC found Rappler liable for violating the constitutional and statutory foreign equity restrictions in mass media when it issued Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) to Omidyar Network, a foreign entity.

A PDR is a security that grants the holder the right to the delivery or sale of the underlying shares of stock and is usually not evidence of ownership in a corporation.

In June 2022, the SEC affirmed the revocation of the certificates of incorporation of the two companies, which effectively shut down Rappler. This prompted the news organization to file a petition before the CA.

In 2024, the CA ordered the SEC to restore the certificates of incorporation of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corporation, saying that the media outfit is wholly owned and managed by Filipinos.

International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who led the international legal team representing Rappler CEO and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, said the SC decision is an important victory for Ressa and other journalists in the Philippines. 

“I welcome the position taken by the Solicitor General in this case and the court rulings recognizing the paramount importance of the press in a free society. I hope the courts will resolve the remaining cases against Maria in line with these same values,” Clooney said in a statement. –NB, GMA News