RAPPLER chief Maria Ressa should stop blaming the government for the "incompetence" of her lawyers who supposedly failed to defend her before the court, MalacaƱang said on Friday. February 15.
Speaking to Palace reporters, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo maintained that the executive "never" meddles in the judiciary's affairs.
Panelo made the statement after Ressa slammed the Duterte government's alleged "abuse of power" by issuing an arrest warrant that "looked rushed or on purpose" over cyber libel charge.
"She says that there has been irregularity in the filing of the case, as well as she's harassed. Let me tell you Maria that the case filed against you was in accordance with the law. This is not a case of freedom of expression as you claimed. It is a case of one man, and personally complainant, asserting his right under the law for a perceived violation of his right," he said.
"That is why he filed a case against you. Now you say, rule of law. Precisely, rule of law has observed. A case is filed against you. A preliminary investigation was accorded to you. That is in accordance with the law. That is a rule of law," he added.
Ressa on Wednesday, February 13, spent the night at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Manila following the issuance of arrest warrant on her for cyber libel.
She was granted temporary liberty after posting a P100,000 bail bond.
Her arrest stemmed from Rappler's supposed "defamatory" article published against businessman Wilfredo Keng in 2012.
Ressa, whose online news outfit has persistently written stories critical of the administration, said the government seemed to be determined to put her to jail, an act she deemed as a "violation" to her rights.
"It seems the government was bent on having me spend the night in detention," the Rappler chief said in a television interview.
"If the purpose is to make me feel the government has power, I think what they have achieved is to make me realize that the government will go to all lengths to abuse its power to violate my rights," she added.
Rappler has called Ressa's arrest as a clear case of harassment and intimidation of the Duterte government's critics in the media.
Several lawmakers and journalist groups also slammed the alleged attempts to silence and intimidate members of the media, which may have a "chilling effect" on the press freedom.
On Thursday, February 14, President Rodrigo Duterte denied hand in Ressa's arrest.
Panelo said Ressa's sympathizers were "either ignorant of the facts or misinformed of the facts."
He also turned the tables on Ressa, saying it was the latter who is abusing her power as a journalist.
"Stop blaming anyone for the unpreparedness of your lawyers. There is absolutely nothing to do with the freedom of expression. Now you say there's an abuse of power. Excuse me, Maria, abuse of power? You are the one abusing your power as a journalist," the Palace official said.
"Maria, you cannot blame the court, nor the government, nor this administration, nor the President, for the incompetence of your lawyer," he added.
Panelo likewise stressed that the government was merely observing the rule of law.
"Maria, you want to be treated differently from a class of persons subject to a warrant of arrest just because you are a high-profile journalist? Excuse me, Maria, the law is no respecter of social status. Everyone is equal under the law," he said. (SunStar Philippines)