Malacañang Press Corps keeps Rappler membership
The Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) will continue to recognize Rappler as its member even after President Rodrigo Duterte barred the news agency, including its reporter Pia Ranada from entering Malacañang and covering the President’s events.
“Rappler will remain a member of the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) unless the Court of Appeals upholds the decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoking its registration,” MPC said in a statement on Wednesday.
The MPC asserted its independence in accrediting its members.
“MPC, an independent organization of journalists regularly covering the President and Malacañang activities, asserts its prerogative to accept, suspend or revoke membership to the body,” it said.
“While we respect the discretion of Malacañang to set accreditation rules for presidential events, we deplore any arbitrary attempt to bar access and harass reporters performing their duty as an independent monitor of power and guardian of public interest,” it added.
On Tuesday morning, Ranada was barred from entering Malacañang by Corporal Marc Anthony Cempron of the Presidential Security Group who was stationed at Gate 2.
READ: Journo barred from entering Malacanang
Cempron said there was an instruction from the “higher ups” that she would no longer be allowed to enter the Palace premises.
In an ambush interview on Tuesday evening, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Rappler reporters, including Rañada who covers President Rodrigo Duterte, would not be allowed to enter Malacañan Palace and cover events of the president for now.
READ: Medialdea:Rappler reporters can’t enter Palace until SEC case fixed
Medialdea said Rappler should straighten out its case first with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which accused the news organization of breaking the constitutional limits to foreign ownership of media companies.
Medialdea said that since the SEC revoked the registration of Rappler, the accreditation of Rañada, who works at Rappler, has in effect also been revoked.
“We also urge Malacañang to communicate properly the grounds for such restrictions,” MPC said.
