MANILA — The Philippines ordered the closing on Monday of an independent online news site that has been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, prompting protests from industry groups who called the move an attack on press freedom.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines said the news site, Rappler, had violated a constitutional rule that restricts ownership of media entities to Filipinos.
The commission said that Rappler had employed a “deceptive scheme to circumvent” the rules, an allegation that the online publication denied and vowed to fight in court.
In a note to its readers, Rappler said that it had been warned last month that a ruling was being prepared but added that it had been confident the regulator would decide in its favor.
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