Philippine government affirms decision to shut down Rappler

HONOLULULULU - Filipino journalist and Nobel Peace laureate Maria Ressa said in a speech in Hawaii on Tuesday that the Philippine government is affirming a previous order to shut down Rappler, the news site she co-founded, which has gained notoriety for reporting President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody crackdown on illegal drugs.

The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission affirmed its earlier decision to revoke the certificates of incorporation of Rappler, Ressa said while speaking at the East-West Center in Honolulu.

Ressa told the audience that part of the reason I didn't get much sleep last night is because we got a shutdown order.

In the last year, Ressa became the first Filipino and she and Russian Dmitry Muratov became the first working journalists to be awarded the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace Prize in more than 80 years.

She was a featured speaker at the East-West Center International Media Conference this week.

The order was dated June 28 and reaffirms the decision to revoke the certificates of incorporation of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corp. We are entitled to appeal this decision, especially since the proceedings were highly irregular, according to the statement.

Ressa said that they were not shutting down. I'm not supposed to say that. There was no announcements about the decision on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website before business hours in the Philippines, where it was already Wednesday.

She co-founded Rappler in 2012. The website is one of several news agencies that are critical of Duterte's policies.

Since taking office in 2016, Duterte has publicly lambasted journalists who write unfavorable stories about him. He has bristled at critical coverage of his anti-drug campaign, which has left thousands of mostly poor people dead and has drawn international condemnation.

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte - daughter take office Thursday after winning landslide victories in last month s elections.

Ressa was convicted of libel and remained free on bail while the case is on appeal.

The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission revoked Rappler's license over what it ruled was a breach of the ban on foreign ownership and control of media outlets.