MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it is ready to defend its deal with news organization Rappler following the Office of Solicitor General's move asking the Supreme Court (SC) to nullify the deal.

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"We cannot do anything but face the music, answer the petition, and defend the memorandum of agreement that we signed with Rappler. Whatever decision the court will render, we will abide by it," Comelec acting chairperson Socorro Inting said.

Asked if they are standing by the deal with Rappler, Inting said: "We entered into an agreement with Rappler freely and voluntarily and it underwent review by the Law Department. And if the court finds the MOA to be infirm, then we cannot do anything."

The Solicitor General wants the high court to issue a temporary restraining order and declare the MOA void supposedly for violating the Constitution and other laws, and also for allegedly being “onerous to the Government and the Republic,” based on a 2-page press release.

In its press release, the OSG said the Comelec essentially “co-shared” with Rappler the power to decide on all questions affecting the elections, and that Rappler’s authority to flag Comelec with “false, misleading, harmful information” constitutes prior restraint of freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

However, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez denied that Rappler has access to confidential data.

"One of the key points in MOA preparation for Comelec is to ensure that there is no violation of the Data Privacy Law. We do that for all memoranda of agreement," he said.