CHR supports bill to decriminalize libel
THE COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) on Wednesday said it supports a Senate bill seeking to decriminalize libel after a community journalist was convicted of cyber-libel over a Facebook post made five years ago.
In a statement, the CHR urged lawmakers to thoroughly evaluate the measure, citing that imprisonment is too harsh a penalty for libel and the current law has been weaponized against free expression.
“The CHR reminds the Philippine government that as a consignee of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, it has the obligation to protect people’s rights to freedom of opinion and expression,” the human rights body said.
It added that public officials should deal with criticism through open discussions and promote transparency instead of suing people for libel.
Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, who filed the bill, said existing laws “have been weaponized to stifle very basic fundamental rights.”
The measure would amend the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 if passed.
At the same time, the CHR acknowledged that libel remains an important legal instrument against peddlers of fake news.
“The discourse over this bill should thus encompass not only the mentioned rights; it must remain mindful of facts and truths,” it said.
Ms. Hontiveros had said the media plays an important role in delivering accurate information to the public.
“We need the press to vet information and continue to be the safe keepers of facts,” the senator said.
A Quezon City regional trial court convicted Baguio City-based journalist Franklin Cimatu over a comment he made on ex-agriculture secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol in a social media post.
The court said his statement was defamatory as it made it appear as though the former official illegally amassed money during the bird flu outbreak in 2017, gaining P21 million.
Mr. Cimatu was sentenced to up to five years, five months and 11 days in prison along with a fine of P300,000 for moral damages.
Mr. Piñol, in a public Facebook post on Dec. 14, a day after the court ruling was released, said the decision was a lesson on accountability for journalists.
“As an individual, it is my right to defend my honor because this is my legacy to my children and my grandchildren, a name untarnished by issues of corruption in public service,” he said.
Mr. Cimatu said he would appeal the case before the year ends.
The Philippines slipped two notches in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index released by the Committee to Protect Journalist last month, ranking 138th among 180 countries. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
