Clad in black, around 350 journalists, students and advocates joined the “Black Friday Protest for Freedom” Jan. 19 in Quezon City in a show of force to defend press freedom.
The protest comes days after the Securities and Exchange Commission in a Jan. 11 decision revoked social news network Rappler’s certificate of incorporation for its “deceptive scheme” to skirt foreign ownership restrictions in mass media. (See VERA FILES FACT SHEET: SEC revocation of Rappler’s registration explained)
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines in a statement called the move as “but one of many threats Duterte has made against media critical of him and his governance.” (See VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Duterte seesaws with the media)
Protesters denounced the “attacks on press freedom,” likening President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration to President Ferdinand Marcos’ during martial law.
Ateneo de Manila University earlier in the day, and the University of the Philippines yesterday staged their own protest actions with the same call.
