Turning the tables on Rappler chief Maria Ressa, Malacañang has accused her of abusing the power of a journalist and weaponizing the right to free speech to attack the government.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Ressa should just face the case filed against her and stop blaming the government for her legal predicament.
“Now you say ‘There is an abuse of power.’ Excuse me Maria, abuse of power? You are the one abusing your power as a journalist. You’re marshaling your colleagues to support you on the basis of a misplaced and baseless cause,” Panelo said yesterday.
“What is the cause? The cause is you’re saying that the government is instilling fear because of the case filed against you,” said Panelo, also chief presidential legal counsel.
Panelo also said Ressa was also “weaponizing or using the law or the constitutional guaranty of freedom of expression to attack the President and the administration and put them in bad light before the eyes of the world.” (Genalyn Kabiling)
