Rappler CEO and founder Maria Ressa is a dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines, contrary to a claim made by a Tiktok user that she is not a “pinoy.”
In the video posted by user joshuagarcia895 on June 29, a quote card of Ressa urging the Marcos administration to work with the journalists is shown with the following text overlay:
Paawa effect… wag mong subukan kasing manira sa Pilipinas, hindi ka naman kasi pinoy (Appeal to pity. Don’t try to ruin the Philippines, you’re not a Filipino)
According to her profile from Rappler.com, Ressa was born in the Philippines in 1963 and migrated to New Jersey in the US in 1973.
In 2019, Ressa tweeted about her dual nationality and her reclaimed Philippine citizenship. She said:
Pilipino po -- at hindi po tinatago (I’m Filipino. I don’t hide this)... unlike the fantasies of your minions. Have never hidden my dual nationality. And since I reclaimed my PH citizenship in 2004, I enter & exit the PH getting both passports stamped! CBC asked me why I didn’t leave: https://youtube.com/watch?v=marAeYOOetg
Ressa has also denied having Indonesian parents. Replying to a tweet that same year asking about her parents' nationality, she said:
While I lived in Jakarta for a decade, my parents are not Indonesian hahahahha I have dual citizenship - US and PH ... tremendous resources being spent for online disinformation -- like the legal acrobatics.
Ressa is known to be a critic of outgoing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his policies, especially the war on drugs.
Ressa announced on June 29 that the Securities and Exchange Commission has upheld the revocation of the certificates of incorporation of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holding Corp. The media organization said it will petition the Court of Appeals to review the decision.
Ressa cofounded Rappler in 2012.
As of writing, the video has garnered over 5,200 views and 85 likes. (JL)