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Manila Bulletin devider devider Campus journalists protest 'attack' on Rappler

Campus journalists protest 'attack' on Rappler

Published Jan 17, 2018 05:20 pm

By Analou De Vera

Several students staged a protest action in Mendiola, Manila to express their outrage over the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) decision to revoke the license to operate of online news site Rappler, which they deemed as an attack on the Philippine press.

Members of College Editors Guild of the Philippines protest on press freedom at Mendiola, Manila on Wednesday after SEC ordered the closure of Rappler . (JANSEN ROMERO / MANILA BULLETIN) Members of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines staged a protest action in Mendiola, Manila on Wednesday, two days after the SEC decided to revoke Rappler's license to operate.
(JANSEN ROMERO / MANILA BULLETIN)

 Members of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) said that the country's press "is facing its worst nightmare, again," as President Rodrigo Duterte is "clearing his path for his grand dictatorial ambition in a shameless attack to press freedom."

"The move is straight out of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos' textbook on building a ruthless and totalitarian dictatorship. Duterte is slowly putting death to press freedom, silencing those exposing the fully unveiled brutality of his regime that is leading to a dictatorship," CEGP said in a statement.

 The group said that the "attack" against Rappler is not only an attack on the Philippine press but to democracy and the Filipino people as well.

 The group said that the press freedom is being disregarded by the current administration "while they praise fully their charlatan army of pseudo-journalists, the likes Sass Sasot and Mocha Uson."

 “The Philippine government shamelessly lauds these fraud "journalists" who use fake news websites and organizations as sources, and quell news media organizations critical to his regime especially on his murderous war on drugs," the group said.

 "The Philippines, described as one of the freest press in Asia, is also the most dangerous in the world. Duterte is hell-bent on silencing his critics and has repeatedly threatened the closure of several mainstream media institutions," they added.

 The CEGP also claimed that several student publications and journalists have been experiencing harassment, red tagging and military surveillance.

"One of our member publication in Camarines Sur reported last September 2017 that they received a message from the Armed Forces of the Philippines that they are part of the watch list of Duterte’s counterinsurgency program Oplan Kapayapaan," they claimed.

The CEGP then called on campus journalists, media practitioners and organizations to unite and fight all forms of repression.  "The press will continue to defend its freedom and fight for its duty to the Filipino people especially that it is a bulwark of truth and people’s democratic interests."

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