Philippines orders news site Rappler to close but founder Ressa says 'business as usual'

Philippine Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa is fighting at least seven court cases amid friction with the government over the news site Rappler, which she founded. AP

Philippine Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa has vowed to keep her news company Rappler running after authorities ordered it to shut down.

On Wednesday, the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed the "revocation of the certificates of incorporation" of Rappler, accusing it of breaching "constitutional and statutory restrictions on foreign ownership in mass media".

The move comes a day before President Rodrigo Duterte is due to leave office.

Ms Ressa has been a vocal critic of Mr Duterte and the deadly war against drugs he launched in 2016. Since then, she has faced a series of criminal investigations and online attacks against her and Rappler.

Rappler said the decision "effectively confirmed the shutdown" of the company and promised to appeal, describing the proceedings as "highly irregular".

But Ms Ressa said the news site would continue to operate as they followed the legal process.

"We continue to work, it is business as usual," she told reporters.

"We can only hope for the best" under Mr Duterte's successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Ms Ressa said.

Rappler has had to fight for survival as Mr Duterte's government accused it of flouting laws against foreign ownership of media when securing funding, as well as tax evasion.

It has also been accused of cyber libel, a criminal law introduced in 2012 ― the same year Rappler was founded.

Mr Duterte has attacked the website by name, calling it a "fake news outlet" over a story about one of his closest aides.

The news portal is accused of allowing foreigners to take control of its website through its parent Rappler Holdings' issuance of "depositary receipts".

Under the constitution, investment in media is reserved for Filipinos or Filipino-controlled entities.

The case springs from the 2015 investment from the US-based Omidyar Network, which was established by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

Omidyar later transferred its investment in Rappler to the site's local managers to stave off efforts by Duterte to shut it down.

Ms Ressa, who is also a US citizen, and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for their efforts to "safeguard freedom of expression".

She is fighting at least seven court cases, including an appeal against a conviction in a cyber libel case, for which she is on bail and faces up to six years in prison. Rappler faces about eight cases, Ms Ressa said.

The International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) has urged the Philippine government to reverse its order to shut down Rappler.

"This legal harassment not only costs Rappler time, money and energy. It enables relentless and prolific online violence designed to chill independent reporting," ICFJ said on Twitter.

Mr Marcos Jr, the son of the Philippines' former dictator who presided over widespread human rights abuses and corruption, takes over from Mr Duterte on Thursday.

Activists fear Mr Marcos Jr's presidency could worsen human rights and freedom of speech in the country.