Hours following her arrest, Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa was released from police custody after posting bail on Friday.
The chief of the online news site was freed around noon after posting a P90,000 bail at Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 265.
“The arraignment of the accused and pre-trial conference are hereby set on April 10, 2019 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning,” Judge Maria Cheryl Laqui-Ceguera said in the release order issued by the court.
Armed with an arrest warrant issued by Judge Acerey Pacheco of the Pasig City RTC Branch 265, members of the Pasig City Police Station Warrant and Subpoena Section nabbed Ressa minutes after she disembarked from plane at Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 7 a.m. yesterday.
She is accused of violating the constitutional requirement for mass media to be 100-percent Filipino owned.
“To any officer of the law, you are hereby commanded to arrest the person Maria Angelita Ressa who is to be found at (address redacted) or elsewhere and who stand charged before me of the crime of violation of Sec sion 2-A of Commonwealth Act No. 108 or the Anti-Dummy Law,” Rappler quoted Pacheco in the arrest order he issued on Thursday.
“Will they actually arrest me again?! @rapplerdotcom this is insane. Such violations of the Bill of Rights and the PH Constitution,” Ressa said on a tweet Friday.
Police Colonel Rizalito Gapas, Pasig City Police chief, said Ressa had undergone booking procedures at the station before being escorted by the police and members of the media to the court.
NO VIOLATION
Meanwhile, Malacañang said the arrest of Ressa does not violate any of her rights as it underwent due process.
In his Friday press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo Panelo reiterated that Ressa is just complaining of being arrested because she wants to be treated differently.
“That cannot be done. All warrants of arrest issued by competent courts are to be served the way it was served to her this morning. And warrants of arrests are not issued unless the courts’ judges determine there is a probable cause, which means due process has been observed,” he said.
“Probable cause was determined by the Office of the Prosecutor or the Department of Justice. And then an information has been filed and prior to an issuance of a warrant of arrest another determination by the judge handling the case will be made. And there is such a determination of probable cause. So due process has been observed,” he explained.
According to Panelo, instead of complaining that she is being harassed because Rappler has been critical of the administration, Ressa should just focus on her defense. (Jhon Aldrin Casinas, Argyll Cyrus Geducos)