Robredo: May Maria Ressa serve as model in standing up for truth

Vice President Leni Robredo on Saturday praised Nobel laureate and press freedom champion Maria Ressa after the veteran journalist received the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.

“May she serve as an example in standing up for the truth in the face of relentless efforts to undermine it,” Robredo said in a statement.

On Friday, Ressa received her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. She is the first Filipino to win the prestigious award.

Ressa, co-founder and CEO of news website Rappler, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in early October, along with Russia's Dimitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, for "their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression."

“Congratulations, Maria, and thank you for bringing pride to our people,” Robredo said.

“I join the world in honoring Maria Ressa, and I join the rest of the nation in pride as we celebrate the first Filipina Nobel Laureate,” she added.

The Vice President said Ressa “was honored not only for telling the truth; she won the Nobel for carrying that truth forward in the face of harassment and abuse and an entire ecosystem built to strip it of its power.”

“In this, she reflects the highest ideals not only of journalism, not only of our people, but of all humanity: Courage in service of others,” Robredo said. —LBG, GMA News