The office of Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte sought to distance itself on Tuesday from a regulator's decision to revoke the license of a prominent news site, rebuffing allegations the administration had initiated a crackdown on the media.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte had not influenced the corporate regulator's decision against digital news outlet Rappler, and that Duterte had called him to ask why critics were pointing the finger at him.
Rappler, whose reporting has infuriated the volatile leader, was found by the Securities Exchange Commission to have violated restrictions on foreign ownership of domestic media. The decision is not final and Rappler, which has been allowed to continue operating as normal, said it would challenge it.