All posts by Pol Pinoy

Business, Finance, Media, Politics, Social Media

Maria Ressa Puts Up Rappler For Sale; PCOO Is Highest Bidder

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MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Some things must to come to an end. Such is the case for Maria Ressa’s start-up online news source, Rappler.

Now that she has been charged with tax evasion, not to mention Rappler’s failure to raise funds through crowd sourcing to help sustain its continued operations, Ressa has made the difficult decison to throw in the towel.

Rappler is now for sale at just about half of its net worth.

Among the first to make an offer to buy out Rappler is the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). So far, it is considered to be the highest bidder.

PCOO Undersecretary Lorraine M. Badoy told The Adobo Chronicles that the Malacañang office would like to use half of its P1.4 Billion budget for 2019 to buy out Rappler.

”It just makes sense for PCOO to  take over Rappler.  It would make our job easier, not having to counter any anti-government reporting originating from Ressa’s outfit,” Badoy said.

The Adobo Chronicles spoke with Ressa tonight and she said that proceeds from the planned sale of Rappler would help take care of the hefty legal fees that she expects to cough up as a result of the court case now pending in the Court for tax evasion charges against her.

Media, Politics

Journalists In The Philippines Now Considered Criminals And Could Face 10 Years In Prison

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MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The Philippines is the worst place in the universe to be a journalist.  Just by being one, a person is automatically labeled a criminal and could face up to 10 years in prison.

That is, if Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is to be believed.

In a speech before the Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ) which presented an award to her, Ressa said: “Because I am a journalist, I am now being labeled as a criminal and could go to prison for 10 years.”

Could it be because Philippine journalists don’t pay their taxes?

Government, Social Media, Technology

Court Employees To Chief Justice Bersamin: Don’t Trample On Our Free Speech!

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MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – If you think that Maria Ressa is the only person crying “suppression of free speech,” think again.

Employees of the Supreme Court of the Philippines are waging a similar protest following a directive from newly-appointed Chief Justice Lucas Purugganan Bersamin banning the use of cell phones during office hours.

Court personnel from Batanes to Jolo have criticized the directive, saying that it tramples on their right to free speech.

”Cell phones are indispensable to the exercise of our right to express our views and sentiments, as well as to the free flow of uncensored information.

The employees told The Adobo Chronicles that it is unfair that all other government employees are free to use their cell phones to talk to friends and family, as well as to check their Facebook and Twitter accounts during office hours, and they now can’t.

”Democracy is dead under the new CJ,” they said.

It was unclear whether the ban includes iPads and other tablets.