By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
Malacañang said that it respects the decision of Time Magazine to hail Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa as one of its "Person of the Year," saying it is the call of the publication to give the recognition to whoever they want.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the statement after it was revealed Tuesday that Ressa is one of the four journalists named "Person of the Year" alongside three other personalities in the field who made headlines in 2018. Panelo, in his Wednesday press briefing, said that freedom of expression in the country remains to be robust. "Obviously since there are still critics attacking the administration, criticizing the administration, the freedom of expression in this country is a robust one," he said. "Nobody has been prosecuted for criticizing the administration. Those who have been charged are in connection not with their freedom of expression, but for commission of crimes, which the courts had found probable cause that is precisely they are now being tried," he added, referring to the tax evasion charges that Ressa is currently facing. With respect to Ressa's award, Panelo said that recognition is the call of Time Magazine and the Palace respects their decision. "Now, with respect to the awardee Ressa, that is the call of the awarding organization, its basis of awarding certain people. We cannot intrude into that," he said. "Whether we agree or not it doesn't matter. That's the award of the particular organization," he added. Ressa is touted by Time Magazine as one of the four Guardians and their war on truth. The other personalities who also made the cover of Time are Jamal Khashoggi, the columnist who was killed in the Saudi embassy in Turkey. The staff from the Capital Gazette also made the cover of Time. It is the US newspaper where five members of their staff were killed when a gunman attacked their office in Annapolis, Maryland in July this year. The wives of Burmese Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were also made the cover. Their spouses were sentenced to seven years in jail in September for violating a state secrets act.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the statement after it was revealed Tuesday that Ressa is one of the four journalists named "Person of the Year" alongside three other personalities in the field who made headlines in 2018. Panelo, in his Wednesday press briefing, said that freedom of expression in the country remains to be robust. "Obviously since there are still critics attacking the administration, criticizing the administration, the freedom of expression in this country is a robust one," he said. "Nobody has been prosecuted for criticizing the administration. Those who have been charged are in connection not with their freedom of expression, but for commission of crimes, which the courts had found probable cause that is precisely they are now being tried," he added, referring to the tax evasion charges that Ressa is currently facing. With respect to Ressa's award, Panelo said that recognition is the call of Time Magazine and the Palace respects their decision. "Now, with respect to the awardee Ressa, that is the call of the awarding organization, its basis of awarding certain people. We cannot intrude into that," he said. "Whether we agree or not it doesn't matter. That's the award of the particular organization," he added. Ressa is touted by Time Magazine as one of the four Guardians and their war on truth. The other personalities who also made the cover of Time are Jamal Khashoggi, the columnist who was killed in the Saudi embassy in Turkey. The staff from the Capital Gazette also made the cover of Time. It is the US newspaper where five members of their staff were killed when a gunman attacked their office in Annapolis, Maryland in July this year. The wives of Burmese Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were also made the cover. Their spouses were sentenced to seven years in jail in September for violating a state secrets act.