COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson Socorro Inting said Monday, March 7, 2022, that the agency will defend the memorandum of agreement (MOA) it had with news organization Rappler Inc. after it was protested by the Office of the Solicitor General.
"We cannot do anything but face the music, answer the petition, and defend the memorandum of agreement that we signed with Rappler. Whatever decision the court will render, we will abide by it," she said.
"We entered into an agreement with Rappler freely and voluntarily and it underwent review by the Law Department. And if the court finds the MOA to be infirm, then we cannot do anything," she added.
Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a petition urging the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against the Comelec-Rappler MOA for a fact-checking initiative, as well as production of poll-related contents for the upcoming May 2022 national elections.
He said the MOA violates numerous provisions of the 1987 Constitution and other laws, noting that Rappler is a foreign mass media entity managed by an American citizen and whose operations are funded and/or controlled by foreign entities that include Omidyar Network Fund L.L.C.
Calida also expressed concern on Rappler’s access to confidential data as provided in the MOA, which Jimenez denied.
"One of the key points in MOA preparation for the Comelec is to ensure that there is no violation of the Data Privacy Law. We do that for all memoranda of agreement," Jimenez said. (SunStar Philippines)