MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has put an end to the case involving the shutdown order of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against Rappler, marking the digital company’s victory against one of the biggest cases it faced.

“The Court further…declares this case closed and terminated and the parties informed accordingly,” the SC Third Division said in a resolution dated January 20, 2026.

The case was closed because the SC division granted the Office of the Solicitor General’s (OSG) request to withdraw its motion for extension. The motion for extension originally asked the High Court to give the OSG additional time to file a legal challenge against the Court of Appeals (CA) decision that voided the SEC’s shutdown order against Rappler.

As the government’s primary counsel, the OSG led by Solicitor General Darlene Marie Berberabe was lawyering on the SEC’s behalf.

In 2024, Rappler won its case against the SEC after the CA voided the former’s shutdown order. A year later, the appellate court affirmed its decision that declared that Rappler is Filipino-owned, and denied the SEC’s motion for reconsideration that challenged the 2024 ruling.

“This is an important victory for Maria Ressa and journalists across the Philippines. I welcome the position taken by the Solicitor General in this case and the court rulings recognizing the paramount importance of the press in a free society. I hope the courts will resolve the remaining cases against Maria in line with these same values,” international human rights lawyer and Lebanese-British barrister Amal Clooney said in a statement.

Clooney is representing Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.

“This is a significant and welcome victory for our client, Maria Ressa, and for Rappler, following a legal battle stretching for almost a decade. This should be a pivot point for Maria, Rappler, and for press freedom and the rule of law in the Philippines. We hope this positive direction of travel will continue as the remaining cases against Maria reach resolution,” Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, Ressa’s other counsel, said.

What happened before

Under then-president Rodrigo Duterte, the SEC revoked Rappler’s certificate in January 2018, claiming that the Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) — a financial instrument issued to foreign investor Omidyar – was unconstitutional.

As a response, Omidyar donated the PDRs to Rappler’s Filipino managers, triggering the CA in the same year to ask the SEC to reevaluate its decision. However, the SEC upheld its shutdown order just days before Duterte stepped down from the presidency in 2022.

The CA, in August 2024, granted Rappler’s challenge against the SEC decision and ordered the restoration of Rappler and Rappler Holdings Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation. The CA also noted that the digital media company was “accorded preferential treatment — a negative one” by the SEC.

It also reiterated that Omidyar’s donation of the PDRs to Rappler had already removed the SEC’s concern — an earlier argument raised by the news organization. 

When the CA affirmed its decision in 2025, it reiterated its finding that the SEC ignored the earlier CA decision that ordered it to review the legal effects of Omidyar’s donation.

Of the long list of cases filed against Rappler and its officials in the last years, only one case is still pending. Ressa and former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos’ appeal of their June 2020 cyber libel conviction is still pending before the SC.

Just last March, the OSG also filed a manifestation with the High Court asking it to acquit Ressa and Santos in the case. – Rappler.com