“HOLDING POWER TO ACCOUNT”
Ressa said the latest legal blow was “a reminder of the importance of independent journalism holding power to account”.
“Despite these sustained attacks from all sides, we continue to focus on what we do best – journalism,” she said in a statement.
In its decision, the Court of Appeals said the motion for reconsideration was “unmeritorious” as the matters raised had “already been exhaustively resolved and discussed”.
Ressa, who is also a US citizen, is fighting seven court cases, including the cyber libel case, for which she has been on bail and faces up to nearly seven years in prison.
The cyber libel law was introduced in 2012, the same year Rappler was founded.
Rappler, which also faces multiple cases, had to fight for survival as Duterte’s government accused it of violating a constitutional ban on foreign ownership in securing funding, as well as tax evasion.
Days before Duterte left office, the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission ordered Rappler to shut down for violating “constitutional and statutory restrictions on foreign ownership in mass media”.
Rappler is challenging the decision.
The company’s future and its battle in the country’s highly politicised legal system under President Ferdinand Marcos is uncertain.
Marcos, who took over from Duterte on Jun 30, has given few clues about his views on the website and the media in general.
In a recent speech, Marcos said he believed in the “importance of upholding the universal right of free speech and press freedom as well as giving and receiving accurate information”.
But activists fear he could worsen human rights and freedom of speech in the country.