National Bureau of Investigation officers escorted Ressa through a phalanx of media that poured into the Manila office of Rappler when news of the agents' arrival went viral on social media. "People should know that the line has been crossed," Ressa told reporters, adding she would seek bail. "These cases are intended to intimidate us," Chay Hofilena, Rappler's investigative editor, told media. Rappler's reporters are regularly threatened by elements of Duterte's online support base, part of what Rappler's investigations say is an organised "weaponising" of the internet by the government. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines called Ressa's arrest "a shameless act of persecution by a bully government".

Source: bd News24 February 13, 2019 12:56 UTC