CA junks Ressa’s travel bid to visit sick mother in US

MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals has denied Rappler President and CEO Maria Ressa’s bid to visit her ailing 76-year-old mother in the United States (US).

In a resolution dated December 18 but only released to media on Thursday, the appeals court’s Special Twelfth Division concluded that Ressa failed to “prove that her travel is necessary and urgent” and stated that there are “exceptional circumstances” which restrict her from traveling outside the country.

This is despite four other courts allowed Ressa to leave the country.

Ressa electronically filed her motion for permission to travel abroad on December 1, asking that she be allowed to visit her mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer last October.

In the resolution penned by Associate Justice Geraldine Fiel-Macaraig, the CA found that the medical abstract in Ressa’s motion lacked the indication that she is urgently needed in the US.

“Foremost, the document shows that her mother was seen on telemedicine, which literally means healing at a distance. Also, the attending physician attested that her mother tolerated well the procedure performed on her,” the resolution read.

The appeals court also noted that in Ressa’s plea, she included an undisclosed itinerary and stated that there might be “incidental travels” during her stay in the US.

CA also mentioned the imposed restrictions on foreign travel imposed by other countries during the pandemic. According to the appeals court, this “might compel Ressa to stay longer than her intended stay in the US even if she has the intention to return to the Philippines.”

This is the third time that the appeals court blocked Ressa’s bid to travel abroad. A very urgent motion for permission to travel abroad for theatrical release and panel discussions of the documentary “A Thousand Cuts” was denied in August.

In October, Ressa requested authority to travel abroad to personally receive an award from the National Press Club (NPC).

The latest motion to travel was considered by the CA as a “continuation” of her second motion.

“Considering that We have disposed of the second Motion with finality through the November 16, 2020 Resolution, thus present and third Urgent Motion for Permission to Travel Abroad ought to be dismissed because the same is tantamount to a second motion for reconsideration,” the resolution explained.

The appeals court cited Section 2, Rule 52 of the Rules of Court, which forbids the filing of the second motion of reconsideration for bids, which the court dismissed with finality.

Last June,  the CA found Ressa, together with Reynaldo Santos, guilty of cyber libel.

Based on the 1995 Supreme Court case of Marcos vs. The Honorable Sandiganbayam and the People of the Philippines, the appeals court stated that Ressa’s conviction requires the court to “exercise greater caution in allowing her to leave the Philippines.” [ac]