The Office of the Solicitor General tried to block journalist Maria Ressa’s travel bid, noting that there is “no necessity and urgency” for her to personally claim the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway in December.
Ressa, the first Filipino to be awarded a Nobel Prize, earlier filed with the Court of Appeals a motion to travel to Oslo from December 8 to 13.
“There is no showing that accused-appellant Ressa’s in person attendance thereto is necessary or her non-attendance in person to the events in Oslo, Norway would cause irreparable damage or prejudice to her,” the OSG said in its opposition.
It added that the letter from the Norwegian Nobel Institute to Ressa, co-founder and chief executive officer of news website Rappler, is a “mere invitation.”
“Admittedly, there are alternative means by which accused-appellant Ressa may participate in the enumerated events, such as through videoconferencing and other technological applications,” said OSG.
