The MOA entered into by Rappler and COMELEC is “practically a boilerplate agreement”, according to the poll body.
COMELEC — The Commission on Elections said that it will answer National Press Club’s letter of protest against the poll body’s partnership with Rappler.
To recall, the poll body signed on February 24 a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Rappler in a bid to promote voter awareness and to fight disinformation during the election season.
However, the forged agreement was questioned by the National Press Club (NPC), saying that the partnership is “unacceptable to most Filipinos”.
“We can go on and on citing reasons why we object to your MOA with Rappler. But our central message is, the credibility of the coming election that we all aspire for is not enhanced by your choice,” NPC president Paul M. Gutierrez said.
On Monday, February 28, COMELEC Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said that the answer of acting COMELEC Chairperson Soccoro B. Inting to the letter of protest of the NPC against the COMELEC’s partnership with Rappler is still being prepared.
Jimenez defended COMELEC’s partnership with Rappler by saying that the issue on the news website’s alleged foreign ownership is still on the status quo.
READ ALSO: National Press Club Protests COMELEC’s Partnership With Rappler
He also said that the MOA entered into by the poll body and the news website is “practically a boilerplate agreement”.
“This is the same agreement that we entered into with all networks, with all media organizations,” it noted. “Rappler is not getting any special information; it’s not getting any special treatment; it’s not getting any information that would not be available to any other media network.”
Jimenez also said that the purpose of the MOA is to make sure that there exists a free flow of information from the poll body to the news organizations.
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