Embattled Filipino journalist makes an appeal to Filipino Americans

PBS

Maria Ressa was interviewed by the Public Broadcasting System

One of the Philippines' most respected journalists, Maria Ressa, appealed to Filipino Americans to do what they can to help the cause of freedom and democracy in the Philippines.

A letter to the Malaya Movement, a U.S.-based organization, from Rappler CEO and chief editor Ressa was read to the Filipino Americans observing the 33rd anniversary of People Power, when Filipinos rose up to topple the brutal regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in a bloodless revolution.

Ressa has been targeted by Philippine Preisdent Rolando Duterte for printing unflattering news about some of his policies, especially the deadly war against alleged drug dealers that has resulted in vigilante killings, and exposing the lies of the administration.

It was after Duterte’s election in 2016, when the news website Rappler exposed the pro-Duterte online “troll army” – who were pushing out fake news stories and manipulating the narrative around his presidency – that the online news site began to feel pressure from the administration. 

Ressa, an award-winning journalist from Philippines, was arrested Feb. 13 on charges of “cyber libel” that carries a 12-year prison sentence. Her arrest was followed by international condemnation, and she was released on bail the following day after she had spent the night in detention at the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila.

Following is Ressa's letter to Filipino Americans. In it, she references the "Davao Death Squads" which were responsible for hundreds of extrajudicial executions when Duterte was mayor of Davao; and the color "yellow," which is associated with People Power:

“Thank you so much for keeping an eye on what’s happening in the Philippines.

"I had always thought that being Filipino American meant that we can learn and get the best from two worlds, but increasingly, we are seeing a government propaganda machine demonizing that identity — of course, regardless of the reality of the strong ties between Filipinos and Americans. In social media, I am now being portrayed as an American out to overthrow the government. It’s ludicrous, but it’s clear where it’s headed. After all, this propaganda machine turned the Davao Death Squad into Duterte Die-hard Supporters and effectively demonized the color yellow.

"Disinformation has global reach. When President Trump called the New York Times and CNN “fake news,” a week later, President Duterte called Rappler “fake news.” Disinformation has gotten so bad that my former college classmate in the United States called me up last week asking me if I was really Indonesian! (all because that was falsely used by a troll to question my right to hold the Philippine government accountable for its abuse of power).

"The Philippines is now the tip of the arrow in a global fight for democracy – from the weaponization of social media against perceived enemies like journalists to weaponizing the law against Sen Leila de Lima, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Sen Antonio Trillanes – and most recently, me.

"My arrest and detention was meant to send a signal that was articulated by an NBI agent to one of our young reporters livestreaming the video of my arrest: Be quiet … or you’re next. Fear in our society is real – from the brutality of the drug war to the targets of selective justice. It permeates social media and our reality. Our institutions are crumbling.

“On the anniversary of the ousting of a dictator, it feels like we’re going back to the future. Let’s not allow historical revisionism to win. Help us #HoldTheLine.”

Members of the Malaya Movement say the extrajudicial killings attacks on press freedom in the Philippiness are reminiscent of Marcos unconstitutional power grab. In April, they plan to visit Congressional representatives in Washington D.C. to lobby for an end to American military aid send to the Duterte regime, a strategy used by the Filipino American community to put pressure on Marcos' dictatorship more than three decades ago.

Ressa, who was born in the Philippines, became an American citizen in 1973. She was one of the journalists that Time Magazine named as Persons of the Year for 2018.

“I’m going to challenge the process and I’m going to challenge the charges,” Ressa said last year. “I will continue to hold the government accountable.”

“I think the biggest problem that we face right now is that the beacon of democracy, the one that stood up for both human rights and press freedom—the United States—now is very confused,” Ressa told Time. “What are the values of the United States?”

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