A Philippine court acquitted the journalist and her news outfit Rappler of tax evasion.
She discusses the “weaponization of the law” against her in an interview with the BBC, and how it took more than four years to get to this point.
“This is a day that we had anticipated would come sooner,” she said via zoom from Manila.
“And you know, it went down to these three things, facts, truth, and justice. That is who won today.”
During the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine government accused Ms. Ressa and Rappler of avoiding tax payments when they raised cash through a partnership with international investors.
Ms. Ressa and Rappler both refuted the allegations.
Rappler was one of the few Philippine news outlets to publicly criticize Mr. Duterte and his policies.
According to the Philippines’ National Union of Journalists, the tax evasion case exemplifies an escalating use of the law for retaliation and intimidation of journalists and civil society.
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But it hasn’t been an easy road, and there is still a long way to go. Ms. Ressa is well aware of the difficulties she will encounter, yet she finds motivation in those who have gone before her.
“You know, Martin Luther King said, sure, it will take time,” she explained. “But when I read through the ruling, I realized there was no cause to take us to court… we’re not tax evaders – we’ve never been… This was a crucial day since it would have determined the direction of the Philippines.”
Maria Ressa’s legal problems started while Mr. Duterte’s administration was in power and continued into the current President Ferdinand Marcos Junior’s time.
